Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Andrew Giuliani will not be permitted to attend a GOP primary debate with other candidates since he refused to show proof of vaccination.
At a press conference on Sunday, Andrew, the son of former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani, promised to fight back against New York vaccination mandates if elected.
Andrew said, if elected, he would “throw all of these mandates into the dustbin of history.” The gubernatorial candidate also promised he would help city and state workers who were fired over the vaccine mandate, “get their job back with back pay.”
Employees working for New York state must be vaccinated or show negative tests weekly. NYC workers have to be vaccinated, with no exceptions.
Giuliani claimed he was initially told he could attend the CBS debate if he showed a negative COVID-19 test the day of the debate. He was later told he must show proof of vaccination.
“I told them I would not do that,” Giuliani said. “I don’t think that’s something that even someone who has chosen to get the shot should have to do, from a constitutional standpoint.”
CBS-TV said in a statement that its policy requires all visitors to the broadcast center must be vaccinated. “Any candidate who doesn’t meet this requirement is encouraged to participate in Monday’s debate remotely,” the statement said.
Giuliani announced his intentions to attend remotely. He explained he was not vaccinated “for a couple of different reasons,” and noted how federal health officials recognize the vaccine “doesn’t actually stop [COVID-19] transmission.”
The gubernatorial candidate ripped into CBS for their vaccine decision. “While [your rules] will disrupt Monday’s debate, the true injustice is that policies such as these have deprived front-line heroes such as firefighters, police, and healthcare workers of employment and benefits,” Giuliani said in a letter to CBS executives.
At his press conference on Sunday, set outside the CBS broadcast center, Giuliani pledged to “right these wrongs against the men and women who protect and serve New York City.”