'I just made it up': Florida Dem admits lying about treating Pulse shooting victims after going on the record as saying 'I personally removed 77 bullets from 32 people. It was like an assembly line'
- Elizabeth McCarthy told the Florida Department of Health that she had fabricated claims that she was a cardiologist who had treated victims
- 'I lied. It is a false statement. I just made it up,' McCarthy said, according to an affidavit released Wednesday
- The department charged her with violating state law under the unlicensed activity statutes
- On Wednesday, she was served with a cease-and-desist order which would prohibit her from telling anyone else that she is a medical doctor
Elizabeth McCarthy told the Florida Department of Health that she had fabricated claims that she was a cardiologist who had treated victims of the mass shooting
A queer Democratic politician who claimed to have treated Pulse nightclub shooting victims admitted to Floridaofficials that she lied about her service.
Elizabeth McCarthy told the Florida Department of Health that she had fabricated claims that she was a cardiologist who had treated victims of the mass shooting on the LGBT destination.
'I lied. It is a false statement. I just made it up,' McCarthy said, according to an affidavit released Wednesday by the Florida Department of Health and obtained by Florida Politics.
The department charged her with violating state law under the unlicensed activity statutes.
They are seeking a fine of more than $1,000 and is serving her a cease-and-desist order which would prohibit her from telling anyone else that she is a medical doctor.
Medical Quality Assurance Investigator questioned McCarthy on July 9 and then filed the cease-and-desist order on Wednesday.
When asked why she lied, McCarthy reportedly 'apologized' and said that she was 'portraying a life that wasn't true.
She added: 'I wanted to be somebody in the community, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I gave any impersonation. I knew it was wrong and I should have stopped — by no means did I ever mean to put anybody in jeopardy.'
Her total penalty is $3,094.95 and she has 30 days to dispute the the investigation.
McCarthy, 50, withdrew from the race for House District 28 in June, two weeks after her claims and credentials were called into question.
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'I personally removed 77 bullets from 32 people … It was like an assembly line,' McCarthy had claimed at a gun control panel earlier this year
The Pulse nightclub massacre on June 12, 2016, was at the time the deadliest mass-shooting in US history.
Omar Mateen, 29, killed 49 people and wounded 53 others at the gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, using a semi-automatic rifle and a Glock pistol.
Mateen, who pledged allegiance to ISIS, was killed on the scene by police.
McCarthy had claimed at a gun control panel earlier this year that she was working as a cardiologist at Orlando Regional Medical Center on the night of the attack.
She said: 'I personally removed 77 bullets from 32 people … It was like an assembly line.'
The only problem: the hospital said it had no record of her employment there, and the state Department of Health has no record of McCarthy being a licensed doctor.
Yes, I am a doctor,' McCarthy insisted when approached with the apparent contradictions. 'Yes, I did work the night of Pulse.'
She told the Florida Department of Health: 'I lied. It is a false statement. I just made it up.'Share
Florida Politics also contacted the University of Central Florida, where McCarthy said she received her medical degree in 2014 after years working as a nurse, and Florida State, where she said she received her bachelor's degree.
Neither school had any record of her receiving a degree.
University of Florida and Florida State officials also contradicted her claims to have played basketball for both their teams as an undergraduate.
The report said that officials confirmed she was a registered nurse until 2005, and that she later started a medical company that was in business through 2014.
When the revelations emerged, McCarthy first said she would resign and then vowed to remain in the race to challenge incumbent Republican David Smith.
On Wednesday, she was served with a cease-and-desist order which would prohibit her from telling anyone else that she is a medical doctor
On June 28, she sent a statement to Florida Politics announcing her intent to withdraw from the race.
'After thoughtful contemplation, due to professional obligations, I am withdrawing as a Democratic candidate seeking the nomination and election in Florida House District 28,' McCarthy wrote.
'These considerations have made it impossible for me to continue forward as a candidate, giving the campaign the attention it deserves, while also being able to provide the attention my work requires.'
Prior to running, McCarthy served as the legislative director for the Florida Democratic Party's LGBTA Caucus.
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