Morning Joe Rips ‘Macho Death Cult’ of Mark Meadows and Mike Lee for ‘Playing Games’ With Wearing Masks

Joe Scarborough lit into White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Senator Mike Lee over their seeming refusal to wear masks while speaking indoors during the first day of the Senate Judiciary Hearing for Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

At issue was a moment in the back halls of the Capitol Building during the first recess of the hearings in which Meadows first stood back over 10 feet to address questions from assembled members of the press, but when as he removed his mask, reporters protested, after which he put his mask back on and walked away.

Meadows has notably spent a lot of time with President Donald Trump, who was recently infected with the highly contagious and potentially deadly Covid-19 contagion. Senator Mike Lee also has been infected, and participated in the hearings, speaking loudly indoors without wearing a mask. The Utah Senator provided a note from a doctor that curiously did not reveal if he was testing negative, only that he had passed CDC requirements for someone with mild to no symptoms of the coronavirus.

Coming out of the Meadows clip, Mika Brzezinski defended the reporters asking for a mask, saying, “they’re just trying to do their jobs safely, and this clown, if I may, is playing games with masks?” She then ripped Senator Lee, adding “on top of the fact that we had Mike Lee in the hearing who was diagnosed positive with coronavirus, am I correct, sitting in the hearing with no mask.”

“What is surprising is that people like Mike Lee would be that inconsiderate and that reckless with the lives of people around him,” Scarborough joined in. “That Mark Meadows would be that inconsiderate and reckless with the lives of people around them.”

“I can’t imagine being part of a macho death cult that Mark Meadows obviously feels he needs to be a part of, that Mike Lee feels he needs to be a part of,” he added, “where you’re that inconsiderate to other people. if I’m talking to reporters and they ask for my own safety for me to keep on a mask, I keep on a mask.”

Scarborough then pointed to the political impact of these sorts of maskless moments and how they play politically with senior voters in battleground states like Florida, Arizona, and Pennsylvania.

Watch above via MSNBC.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!