Psychosis may only be momentary, but the Internet is forever. And in Malinda Cook’s case, the crazy appears far more sustained – and disqualifying, as her employer realized.
In case this story got past you, Cook began posting videos on social media, calling on other nurses to poison immigration officials who end up in their care or on social dates. Some of these videos appeared to have been recorded while on the job at a VCU Health facility, a provider based in Richmond, Virginia. Libs of TikTok discovered the videos, compiled them into a single post, and flagged VCU Health on X/Twitter on Monday:
Meet Melinda, a healthcare worker at @VCUHealth. She posted a series of videos encouraging people to inject ICE agents with succinylocholine, a temporary paralysis drug, and spray poison on them. She also encourages woman to go on dates with agents and drug their food.
Any… pic.twitter.com/CMJN12GhOc
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 27, 2026
“I thought of something good,” she said.
“Sabotage tactic, or at least scare tactic. All the medical providers, grab some syringes with needles on the end. Have them full of saline or succinylcholine, you know, whatever. Whatever. That will probably be a deterrent. Be safe.”
In another video, she said, “Okay, for today’s resistance tip, I vote — anybody got any poison ivy, poison oak in their yard? Get some of that, with gloves, obviously, and get it in some water. Like a gallon of water. And get the poison ivy oak water and I’m going to put it into a water gun. Aim for faces, hands.”
In a third video, the nurse said, “Single ladies, where these ICE guys are going, have a chance to do something, you know, not without risk, but could help the cause for sure. Get on Tinder, get on Hinge, find these guys. They’re around. [If] they’re an ICE agent, bring some ex-lax and put it in their drinks. Get them sick. You know, nobody’s going to die. Just enough to incapacitate them and get them off the street for the next day. Highly, easily deniable.”
“I’m just saying, let’s get them where they eat,” she said. “Somebody’s not going to be supporting these guys. Where’s the hotel where they eat? Who makes that breakfast? Let’s find them.”
“Let’s make their lives f-cking miserable,” she later added.
I included this in my Final Word post Monday night, commenting that Cook and others posting similar material were not protesters or dissenters, but were “unhinged” and “trying to start a war … until local authorities take these threats seriously, these are the people who eventually will start one.” And if Cook and her audience took these fantasies seriously, the body count would start more immediately.
It didn’t take long for VCU Health to identify the nurse in the video as Malinda Cook. And it didn’t take long for Cook to get to the “find out” stage of the FAFO cycle after that:
UPDATE: Following an investigation, the individual involved in the social media videos is no longer employed by VCU Health. In addition, VCU Health has fulfilled its reporting requirements under Virginia state law. https://t.co/TlnkbynMft pic.twitter.com/tVvDZtzh0h
— VCU Health (@VCUHealth) January 28, 2026
That’s about a 36-hour cycle of accountability. Impressive, especially for a health-care provider! I kid, I kid …
Note well the references to police as well as reporting requirements under Virginia law. Nurses have to be credentialed in most parts of the US. Advocating for violence against patients seeking care will almost certainly impact Cook’s ability to keep her credentials, at least for a while, which means she’s out of the nursing business for a while. The question of criminal liability may be trickier, as Cook’s attorney would likely argue that these were fantasies rather than action plans, and that these statements are protected under the First Amendment.
That may well be true, but it’s not necessarily a slam dunk, as ABC’s Richmond affiliate points out:
Stone, who is not involved in this case, was once a prosecutor and now works as a defense attorney. He shared with our team both sides of the argument — whether someone could prosecute the former nurse on her remarks and what a possible defense strategy could be.
“It’s even more surprising because she’s in the healthcare field, where the Hippocratic Oath says, ‘First, do no harm,” Stone said. “She’s clearly not following her oath.”
Stone believes a prosecutor could charge Cook with solicitation to commit a felony offense — but he adds there’s always another side to the story.
“I do think there is argument to be made that this woman is just trying to get clicks,” Stone said. “[You could argue that] ‘She’s not really serious about anything that she said.’”
The “I’m a moron” defense might convince a jury, but it may not convince prosecutors, who will want to make an example of Cook pour encourager les autres. However, the damage has been done, and it will be extensive. These videos will now last forever and will get associated with Cook whenever any prospective employer does even minimal research on her name. Not too many employers will be impressed by a candidate who spent her time making arguably terroristic threats while on the clock at her last place of employment, no matter the political inclination of the new organization.
Newsweek laments that situation:
There has been growing scrutiny of public‑facing workers posting politically charged content involving ICE or immigration enforcement. It also mirrors other recent disciplinary actions against nurses and teachers whose online comments triggered public backlash.
Earlier this month, a teacher was placed on leave after a pro‑ICE post, and a separate case involving a labor and delivery nurse whose comments about political spokesperson Karoline Leavitt also led to disciplinary review.
These two examples are hardly analogous to Cook’s postings. The teacher only posted, “Go ICE,” and got disciplined for supporting law enforcement. The labor nurse posted a nasty comment, wishing Leavitt a painful and traumatic birth experience, but didn’t suggest that her nurses poison Leavitt or the baby. The latter case resulted in a disciplinary review, but it’s not clear whether it ever went further than that. Both cases fall very easily within the First Amendment, even the latter, which still calls into question the nurse’s professionalism and commitment to empathetic care for all patients. Malinda Cook’s public statements incited people to commit criminal acts.
Public statements have the potential for serious consequences. The First Amendment does not cover incitement to crime, and it certainly doesn’t indemnify people against the commercial consequences of making threats online in permanent records, especially while on the job. If you’re dumb enough or insane enough to do that, well, that sounds like self-selecting out of caregiving professions on a lifetime basis. And it sounds very much like Cook has landed on the predictable FO cycle.
Addendum: Shortly after finishing this post, it appears that the Florida nurse who trolled Leavitt has also entered the FO phase:
Effective today, Lexie Lawler is no longer allowed to practice nursing in Florida.
Making statements that wish pain and suffering on anyone, when those statements are directly related to one’s practice, is an ethical red line we should not cross. I’m proud of @FLSurgeonGen for… https://t.co/bil0VltF9Y
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) January 28, 2026
I suspect that Lawler will sue to overturn this, and that she may well succeed in doing so. The First Amendment may not protect Lawler against employers who refuse to hire her over her comments, but it may protect her against regulatory punishment for her speech, even in professional licensing. It will make an interesting case to watch.
Also, the latest episode of The Ed Morrissey Show podcast is now up! Today’s show features:
- Will a change in the lineup give everyone some breathing room in Minneapolis?
- Andrew Malcolm and I discuss the dramatic changes taking place in the standoff between Donald Trump, Tim Walz, and Jacob Frey, and why Tom Homan may be the right man to take charge. Where does that leave Kristi Noem?
- We also talk about Andrew’s latest “Malcolm’s Memories” column, getting the lowdown on the Great TP Shortage of 1973, and how to properly hold an Oscar.
The Ed Morrissey Show is now a fully downloadable and streamable show at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the TEMS Podcast YouTube channel, and on Rumble and our own in-house portal at the #TEMS page!
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.
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