Three House Democrats are among those who have tested positive to the COVID-19 virus in the aftermath of what’s shaping up to be a lockdown superspreader event thanks to maskless republicans. Roll Call reports:
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., tested positive Monday while experiencing mild symptoms, and said in a statement she believes she caught the coronavirus from her fellow lawmakers while hunkering down as Capitol Police struggled for hours to contain a Trump-inspired mob attack on the Capitol. Early Tuesday, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., announced on Twitter she also had tested positive “after being locked down in a secured room at the Capitol where several Republicans not only cruelly refused to wear a mask but recklessly mocked colleagues and staff who offered them one.”
Rep Brad Schneider (D-Ill) echoed Rep Jayapal’s remarks in his statement to the Chicago Tribune:
“Today, I am now in strict isolation, worried that I have risked my wife’s health and angry at the selfishness and arrogance of the anti-maskers who put their own contempt and disregard for decency ahead of the health and safety of their colleagues and our staff,” Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said on Tuesday.
Video evidence confirms that Republicans Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14), Markwayne Mullin (OK-2), Steve Scalise (LA-1), Andy Biggs (AZ-5), Scott Perry (PA-10) and Michael Cloud (TX-27) were indeed openly mocking and scoffing at Rep Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) as she offered them masks.
It won’t come as a surprise that all the maskless republicans in this video are pro-trump extremists who backed a plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election result. These are very callous people, cold, self-serving and malevolent.
There were people hunkered down in the dark, fearing for their lives, many calling loved ones in case they didn’t make it out. But not these sick seditionists. Add beers and bowls of trailmix to the picture and you’d swear they were kicking back at a favourite bar, not in the middle of an emergency lockdown. No wonder rumours persist that many of them were in on the plot, especially when you learn of their interaction with rioters.
A maskless Mullin spoke to the rioters, many of whom also were not wearing masks, in the moments before they overtook the House chamber before lawmakers were evacuated to the lockdown area. His office did not respond to a request for comment.
I trust his office will respond when the FBI comes calling.
Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), another maskless minion, is a candidate for “patient zero” after admitting in a radio interview that he knew he’d been exposed to the virus (room mate Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) received his positive result that morning) but attended the joint session of Congress anyway.
“I wanted to be able to vote as I told my constituents I would, to vote against certification of the election results,” Fleischmann said. “So I got those votes cast.”
It was unsurprising therefore when Fleischmann announced he’d tested positive too. That initiated a call from a District of Columbia Department of Public Health contact tracer but Fleischmann’s spokesman did not respond to questions about whether the republican listed the U.S. Capitol as among the places he had been in the time where he may have been shedding the virus.
In rapid response to this latest outbreak, Reps Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Anthony Brown (D-M), introduced legislation proposing a $1,000 fine on any member of Congress refusing to wear a mask on Capitol grounds during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chicago Tribune quoted Rep Dingell in their report:
“It is not brave to refuse to wear a mask, it is selfish, stupid, and shameful behavior that puts lives at risk,” Dingell said.
Rep Jayapal added that the House Sergeant at Arms should be authorized to remove any member from the House floor who refuses to wear a mask.
“This is not a joke,” she said. “Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy.”
Kevin Brady (TX-8) also tested positive and began quarantining Tuesday night. Like Reps Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Kay Granger (R-TX), Brady was infected after receiving their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine when it was made available to members of Congress December 18. It’s possible they received the first dose too recently for their immune systems to generate full protection, but it’s more likely that one dose of the vaccine just isn’t a sufficient safeguard.
It doesn’t help that there’s a dearth of data on the effectiveness of one shot in comparison with two. But when a vaccine is fast-tracked, that is what’s lost on the roundabouts when you gain time on the swings.
But when callous and ruthless Republicans are in charge of government and all medical precautions are ignored or rejected, fast-tracking vaccines becomes the lone defence strategy in a rear action battle with the enemy.
Compounding the brutal toll the virus is taking on Americans, pro-Trump extremists are intent on doubling the danger. If their reckless and selfish behaviour isn’t spreading a deadly virus fast enough, they’ll double-down on their disinformation campaigns and seditious plots to inflict fear and physical violence. It’s nonstop mayhem and mass misery with them. January 20 cannot arrive too soon.
Given how much danger they were in (and it was even worse than they knew at the time) I’m not about to fault anyone for not thinking of this. I only thought of it just now, safe and sound in my apartment down in NC all this time. But consider this: Many of these lawmakers were on the phone with family, saying potential goodbyes and I love you. However, what if just one who also happened to be black (or a staffer trapped with these seditious traitors) had said call me back as soon as you can. And after taking the call screamed out OMG! I just found out my Covid test came back positive! I can guarantee you all those smirking, lily white GOP traitors would look at a BLACK person in their midst WITH COVID and knocked each other over trying to get to the lady they made fun of for offering them masks! Call me mean spirited but I’d have rather enjoyed the injuries they’d have inflicted on each other trying to make sure they got their own mask before no more were available.
Will there ever again be a political party as dedicated to harming so many of it’s own constituents as today’s Trumplicans ?
It’s hard to imagine.
It really is, isn’t it. But wait till you see my next story!
The smirks on these fools is deplorable. Shaming them would not work. They have none.
So, when they refuse to wear their mask properly they should be gone for the day. Then strip committees and then go sit in the corner. Money, don’t see as a big deterrent.
Any fool bringing a gun into Capitol should just be kicked out and can they be arrested? Treason, Felony and Breach of peace.
Seem to get syntax errors every time. And slow down on comments.
That is so weird – I had that happen to me yesterday. Pissed me off big time, I can tell you! ?
I’m getting that syntax error about half the time, and those comments never go through when I repost them.
I had a syntax error and then modified the language and tried it again. Resulted in another syntax error, afterwards both comments appeared in moderation. go figure
I have been getting those they last few days, then the second time it tells me I’ve already posted it, and if I leave and come back, my post is up. it’s annoying.
I’m tired of these asshats being treated with kid gloves, like those two women on the plane who should have been jerked out of their seats and thrown off the plane. These repugs should have been thrown out in the hallway with the rioters, let them take their chances there. No mercy. No mask, get out. No excuses or BS. They should be tossed out on their ear, or rear.
Totally agree!
It’s possible they were exposed at the swearing-in on the 3rd.
Look at all the smirks, laughs, and confident body language on all those maskless jerks. They are glad about the attack, and know THEY are not ask risk of being killed by the mob. Because they are in on the conspiracy. Their body language tells me that.
Just look at their body language and expression. What a great time they are havng!
Now Ayanna Pressley’s husband who was with her in hiding at the Capitol.
As my last official act in congress, i’m afraid i’d been tempted to wade into them like bruce lee on meth. Sure, i’d lose the war, but goddamn i would win a few battles. And there would be no phucking smirks.