Some Republicans Hunkering Down During U.S. Capitol Riot Refused Offer Of Face Masks

the Louisiana Illuminator

By Ariana Figueroa

January 11, 2021

WASHINGTON—President-elect Joe Biden on Monday chastised GOP lawmakers for refusing to wear masks while they were held in a safe location as a violent mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol last week.

As lawmakers waited for law enforcement to secure the Capitol on Wednesday, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) went around a packed room passing out masks to people without them, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“When they were hiding from the mob, she was going around trying to hand out masks to everybody,” Biden said to a group of reporters. “And her Republican colleagues wouldn’t wear a mask. I think it’s irresponsible.”

In a video obtained by Punchbowl News, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Michael Cloud (R-Texas), were all not wearing masks, and they turned down the disposable masks that Rochester was offering.

“It’s not a political issue,” Biden said. “It’s an issue of public safety.”

There were nearly 100 people in the room, according to multiple media reports.

“While I was disappointed in my colleagues who refused to wear a mask, I was encouraged by those who did,” Rochester wrote on Twitter Friday. “My goal, in the midst of what I feared was a super spreader event, was to make the room at least a little safer.”

More than 22.5 million Americans are infected with COVID-19 and more than 375,000 people have died from coronavirus in the U.S.

The attending physician of the Capitol, Dr. Brian Monahan, also raised concerns to lawmakers about possible COVID-19 exposures from the rioters last week.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, (D-N.J.), announced Monday on Twitter that she tested positive for COVID-19. She said she decided to get tested after she had to stay in a room with Republicans who did not wear masks. Coleman is a cancer survivor.

“I received a positive test result for COVID-19, and am home resting at this time,” she said in a statement. “While I am experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms, I remain in good spirits and will continue to work on behalf of my constituents.”

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) also announced that he and another lawmaker he lives with tested positive for COVID-19.

“I currently feel okay and remain in contact with the Attending Physician,” he said in a statement. “I again, want to urge all Americans to continue to wear masks, practice proper hygiene, and follow CDC guidance as we work to combat COVID-19.”

The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized.