Arizona Congressman Gets Covid-19 After Attending Hearing With Gohmert, Slams Republicans For ‘Strutting Around the Capitol Without a Mask’

By Sarah RumpfAug 1st, 2020, 9:15 pm
 

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) has tested positive for Covid-19 after attending a July 28 House committee hearing with Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who tested positive less than 24 hours after that hearing, and Grijalva had harsh words for Congressional Republicans who “strut around the Capitol without a mask to selfishly make a political statement at the expense of their colleagues, staff, and their families.”

On July 29, Gohmert announced that he had tested positive in a routine screening done before anyone travels with the president. Gohmert was scheduled to fly back to Texas with President Donald Trump on Air Force One. Gohmert, who had frequently eschewed wearing a mask, had attended the hearing and sat inside the hearing room for several hours.

Saturday, August 1, Grijalva announced that he, too, had tested positive. Grijalva chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, which held a hearing on July 28 that Gohmert attended. AZ Central reported that Grijalva went into self-quarantine after hearing Gohmert’s news, and took a test, which came back positive.

It is not clear where Grijalva caught the virus, but several media outlets did note that he had sat near Gohmert during the hearing.

Grijalva posted a statement about his diagnosis on his Twitter account, noting that he currently was asymptomatic, felt “fine,” and “hope[d] to make a quick and speedy recovery.”

“COVID-19 is not a joke [and] we should all take this seriously,” he added, and linked a statement.

“While I cannot blame anyone directly for this,” the statement read, “this week has shown that there are some Members of Congress who fail to take this crisis seriously. Numerous Republican members routinely strut around the Capitol without a mask to selfishly make a political statement at the expense of their colleagues, staff, and their families.”

Grijalva also praised Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for mandating masks to “keep members and staff safe from those seeking to score political points” — a mandate that was enacted immediately after Gohmert’s diagnosis.

Watch the video above, via CNN.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law & Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on the BBC, MSNBC, NewsNation, Fox 35 Orlando, Fox 7 Austin, The Young Turks, The Dean Obeidallah Show, and other television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe.