Minnesota doctor threatens state medical board with retaliation if elected

Scott Jensen, MD, a candidate for Minnesota governor, has threatened the state medical board with retaliation if he’s elected.

The candidate says he is being investigated for the fifth time and says “this juggernaut will be dealt with” if elected, according to reports by the AP. Jensen is a family practice physician and COVID-19 vaccine skeptic who opposed masks and promoted ivermectin as a COVID treatment. He claims that all five investigations were based on allegations from anonymous critics, and that he has provided information to the board but has not heard from them in months. According to the state medical board, it dismissed the first four complaints against him without action.

He described the state medical board as a massive, inexorable force that’s being used against him for political reasons and promises to appoint new members to the board if elected.

Members generally can be removed only for cause or missing meetings.The board is comprised of 16 people — including physicians, members of the public and an osteopath — who can serve up to two consecutive four-year terms and are appointed by the governor. All were first appointed by Democratic governors and nine seats are due for appointment or reappointment in the next gubernatorial term.

Jensen confirmed to the St. Paul Pioneer Press recently that he still has not been vaccinated against the coronavirus even though he continues to see patients. Jensen says he doesn't need to get vaccinated because he gained natural immunity when he caught COVID-19 in 2020, a common view in the GOP that conflicts with medical facts.