CNN’s Brianna Keilar Tears into Florida Rep Suing Over Mask Mandate: ‘Just to Be Clear, You Are Not a Doctor’

CNN anchor Brianna Keilar tore into Representative Anthony Sabatini (R-FL) for filing lawsuits against cities with mask mandates — questioning if he wants to save lives and noting that he is neither a health export nor a doctor.

“It is unconstitutional,” Sabatini said of mask mandates. “First, let me say something about your introduction. There’s a difference between wanting to wear a mask are and passing a law mandating people wearing a mask, and that’s what we’re concerned with, the actual punishment the government wants to assign people who don’t wear a mask.”

Keilar was quick to push back on Sabatini’s claim, asking if laws forcing residents to wear seatbelts are also unconstitutional, to which the representative responded by claiming that masks are to be worn everywhere while seatbelts are not.

“You filed a lawsuit in a case where it’s just masks inside businesses and you’re in a state where 20 metro areas that are the hardest hit in the country,” Keilar responded. “Almost half of them are in your state, and how cars work, right? People go from place to place. You’re very aware of that.”

The host then pulled up a map, which Sabatini claimed he could not see, that showed Florida cities were home to half of the highest coronavirus case in the U.S.

Sabatini pushed back, noting that cases aren’t the important number considering many don’t result in severe symptoms. Keilar quickly shared Florida’s death rate: 4,521.

“Hospitalizations increasing 19,234. 54 hospital ICUs reached capacity in Florida, she added. “Another 40 hospitals show ICUs  are at 10% or less availability and you say you’re doing fine?”

When Sabatini questioned the numbers, pointing out Florida’s population, Keilar asked, “Sir, you’re the epicenter of a global pandemic and you can’t even admit that?”

The two then quarreled over the reopening of the economy, with Keilar pointing out that mandating masks would help a safer and faster end to lockdowns. When asked if he wore a mask, Sabatini claimed it depended on the situation but admitted that he does not wear one when he goes to the grocery store.

The two then got into a back and forth regarding mask-wearing in grocery stores, during which Sabatini insisted one does not need to wear a mask if they are able to keep social distance while Keilar pushed back and pointed out the representative had previously said he doesn’t wear one because he finds it annoying.

Keilar added that it is proven that masks save lives, asking if the representative “wants to see their lives saved.”

“I think the importance of masks, there is some importance to masks. I think the media is grossly exaggerated their effect in this in circumstances to the point where people literally think if they have a mask they won’t get Covid when really it’s a drop in the bucket in terms of precautions you can take.”

“The media is repeating what public health experts are saying,” Keilar shouted back before asking, “Just to be clear, you are not a doctor and you’re not a public health expert, right?”

Keilar added, “You’re not, I’ll just answer it for you.”

Watch above, via CNN.

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