Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert blames wearing a mask for his positive coronavirus diagnosis
Biologist Erin Bromage says “that’s one of the silliest, the dumbest things” he has heard all week, adding “That’s not the way that it works."
Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican who has frequently refused to wear a mask, has tested positive for coronavirus.
The news reverberated across Capitol Hill on Wednesday, prompting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to announce new rules requiring masks on the House floor and renewing a debate about access to testing for members of Congress and their staff. The diagnosis also comes as congressional leaders from both parties remain far apart in negotiations over a stimulus package to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gohmert had been scheduled to fly aboard Air Force One on Wednesday with President Donald Trump to Midland, Texas, where the President held a fundraiser and toured an oil rig. Gohmert tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday morning during a pre-flight screening at the White House, a person familiar with the situation told CNN.
A senior Republican aide told CNN the test results caused issues on the Hill where "a lot of staffers" were ordered to get tests before they can go to meetings and resume activity. Some are sequestering in their offices until they can get tested. Gohmert's office notified Republican leaders, who notified House medical staff and the protocol kicked in for further notification, the GOP aide said.
Gohmert released a video statement on Twitter saying, "The reports of my demise are a great deal premature" and saying noting he was asymptomatic. "I don't have any of the symptoms that are listed as part of Covid-19, but apparently I have the Wuhan virus," he said.
Louie Gohmert just released a short video statement about his diagnosis of COVID-19 today: https://t.co/TCjZ6Xzce7 pic.twitter.com/IWGvlGCnwV
— Heidi Heitkamp (@HeitkampHeidi) July 30, 2020
Gohmert says he was tested when he went to the White House this morning and he came up positive on the quick test. So he says they then did the nasal swab to confirm and he does indeed have it. But he says he’s completely asymptomatic.
He also explains that despite the fake news, he was wearing a mask in yesterday’s hearing and that he’s been wearing a mask more than he ever has in the last week. He noted that Nadler never reprimanded him for not wearing a mask yesterday in the hearing because he was wearing one, adding that it was a couple of others who were reprimanded.
Now that he has it, Gohmert says that he will be careful to ensure that he doesn’t pass it on to anyone else. Although it might be funny to see him walk over toward Nancy Pelosi’s office and watch all the Democrats run from him like he’s got the plague.
Watch the video for more…
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