N.H. Lawmaker Blasted for Spreading False Claims About 'Octopus-Like Creatures' in COVID Vaccines

Democrats and the state's Republican governor have called for Rep. Ken Weyler to be removed as chair of an influential committee after he emailed the conspiracy theories to colleagues

Rep. Ken Weyler. Photo: Ken Weyler, NH State Representative/Facebook

A New Hampshire lawmaker is facing backlash for reportedly circulating wild conspiracy theories to his colleagues about COVID-19 vaccines, "octopus-like creatures" and babies born with "pitch-black eyes."

After Rep. Ken Weyler forwarded a 52-page document full of outlandish claims to fellow members of a committee he chairs, according to InDepthNH.org, statehouse Democrats and Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said he should be removed from his leadership role.

The document, titled "The Vaccine Death Report" and published by InDepthNH.org, contains false claims about the vaccines the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved fully or through "rigorous, scientific standards" for emergency use authorization.

So far 186 million Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with almost 400 million doses administered of the vaccine the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call "safe and effective."

"The vaccines met the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support approval or authorization of a vaccine," the CDC says.

Yet Weyler, a Republican and chair of the Joint Fiscal Committee, forwarded the document which cites alleged Facebook comments from people who claimed loved ones died after getting vaccinated.

It also claims that living organisms with tentacles were found in vials of vaccines. "This creature moves around, lifts itself up, and even seems to be self aware," the document states.

Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty

In Mexico, babies of vaccinated parents are born with "pitch-black eyes," according to the document's baseless claims. "It also appears that these babies are aging too fast, as they can stand and even walk at only three months old."

Weyler spoke with InDepthNH.org by phone and acknowledged "there's exaggeration on both sides."

"I'm speaking my mind as a state rep. and skeptical person," Weyler said, adding he won't step down from his position and that he looks to "sources other than the CDC" for information about the safety of vaccines. (Reached at his home office on Wednesday, Weyler's wife told PEOPLE she would forward on a request for comment which he did not immediately return.)

In a letter to the Republican speaker, Rep. Sherman Packard, the Democratic Leader, Rep. Renny Cushing, called the report circulated by Weyler "disturbing to read from any elected official, let alone the Chair of committees to which critical funding for pandemic response is directed."

Vaccine. Getty

Cushing also pointed out "offensive anti-Catholic and antisemitic conspiracies" contained in the document, which claims the existence of a "Grey Pope" inside the Vatican, calling the figure the "supreme puppet master" operating "entirely in the shadows, from where he yields enormous power over the world."

"We hope you agree that this kind of bigotry should never be disseminated by elected officials in any capacity," Cushing wrote.

The letter requests that the speaker remove Weyler from his chairmanship "as we are not confident in his ability to lead."

In a statement, Gov. Sununu, a Republican, agreed with Democrats. "I have repeatedly expressed directly to Speaker Packard about the need to remove Weyler from this position of leadership," Sununu said, according to the Associated Press. "These latest absurd emails have accelerated the urgency that the Speaker needs to take action. Disseminating this misinformation clearly shows a detachment from reality and lack of judgment."

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine. Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty

Packard, who as speaker in a Republican controlled House appoints committee chairs, has downplayed Weyler's actions regarding the report. "It is not uncommon, whether one agrees or disagrees with the content, for a committee chair to share constituent information with committee members," Packard said in a statement.

He has remained quiet, however, following the governor's statement and on the issue of Weyler's seat as chair of the committee. He told the AP on Tuesday: "I have no comment."