Mike Lee Gives Maskless Speech at Amy Coney Barrett Judiciary Hearing 10 Days After Coronavirus Diagnosis
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) attended the Senate Judiciary Committee’s first day of confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett on Monday, and he prominently chose to not wear a face mask as he spoke during the proceeding.
Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court was thrown into turmoil at the top of the month when President Donald Trump, his allies, and numerous top Republicans got infected by the coronavirus after a White House Rose Garden event. The gathering — deemed a super-spreader event — was held in celebration of Barrett’s nomination. Not only was Lee among those infected at the non-socially distanced affair, he was caught on film embracing people throughout the event.
Lee attended Barrett’s hearing after 10 days of isolation and saying a doctor cleared him to go back to work, and while he wore a mask at the start of the hearing, he didn’t wear it in a way that covered his nose.
Mike Lee is in the hearing room and chatting with Graham pic.twitter.com/EKT2vnCtnv
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) October 12, 2020
Lee also spoke at the hearing, taking off his mask to hail Barrett and hit back at critics condemning the conservative judicial power grab surrounding the nomination.
It isn’t clear whether Lee is still contagious with Covid-19 at this time, but political observers are horrified by the possibility that he permeated the disease throughout the room thanks to his maskless address.
with mike lee going mask off and lindsay graham potentially infected there’s a chance this hearing becomes the second barrett superspreader event
— b-boy boooo-eebaisse (@jbouie) October 12, 2020
Always Be Superspreading pic.twitter.com/E0rIoVRHoo
— Peter Finocchiaro (@PLFino) October 12, 2020
Why is Senator Mike Lee, who tested Covid-positive, speaking without wearing a mask at this hearing with Judge Barrett and her family present and everyone else there exposed?
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) October 12, 2020
Had the coronavirus. Still not wearing a mask. pic.twitter.com/7SLc0PhuAe
— Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) October 12, 2020
Mike Lee lecturing Americans on leadership…while he, recently COVID positive, does not wear a mask.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) October 12, 2020
I have literally no words for @SenMikeLee, positive for COVID, sitting in that hearing room without a mask.
— julie rovner (@jrovner) October 12, 2020
Watch above, via MSNBC.
