Louie Gohmert, who's refused to wear a mask, tests positive for Covid-19
Reported from cnn.com - (CNN)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.
Several
lawmakers said they planned to self-quarantine in reaction to Gohmert's
condition, including fellow Texas Republican Rep. Kay Granger who sat
next to Gohmert on a recent flight.
Rep. Raul Grijalva, the Arizona Democrat who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, said he would also isolate himself.
"I'm
self-quarantining until I take a test and then again until results are
in. In the meantime, my work schedule and the lives of my employees are
disrupted," Grijalva said in a statement. "This stems from a selfish act
by Mr. Gohmert, who is just one member of Congress."
Politico first reported the news of Gohmert's test.
A public stance criticizing masks
Gohmert
told CNN last month that he didn't wear a mask because he had been
tested and he didn't yet have the virus. "But if I get it, you'll never
see me without a mask," he said.
In the interview with KETK on Wednesday, Gohmert suggested he may have contracted coronavirus by incorrectly wearing his mask.
"I
can't help but wonder if by keeping a mask on and keeping it in place,
that if I might have put some germs or some of the virus onto the mask
and breathed it in," Gohmert said. He added that he has been wearing a
mask more during the past two weeks than he has in the past three or
four months.
"I can't help but
think that if I hadn't been wearing a mask so much in the last 10 days
or so, I really wonder if I would have gotten it," Gohmert added. "You
know, moving the mask around, getting it just right, we're bound to put
some virus on the mask that I sucked in. That's most likely what
happened."
Incorrectly wearing a
mask, including touching and adjusting it in public, can lead to
exposure to the virus. Face masks are most effective when wearers do
not touch their faces or move the mask around when using it. But
Gohmert's claim that such a scenario is "most likely" how he was
infected is questionable, as experts say the virus primarily spreads
during person-to-person contact.
He
said having the virus doesn't change his views on wearing masks, but
now that he has it he "will be religiously wearing a mask" if it is
possible he will come into contact with anyone else.
"I
will not be around anybody for the next 10 days without making sure
that I have a mask," Gohmert said. "Because that's the real danger. Once
you have it, giving it to somebody else, and that's when a mask if most
important."
The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention recommends that anyone testing positive
for the virus should completely avoid people, if at all possible, for 10
days if they have no symptoms and otherwise until their symptoms have
been gone for at least 24 hours. Gohmert, who has no symptoms, said he
will isolate for 10 days in accordance with those guidelines.
Speaking to Fox News' Sean Hannity Wednesday night, Gohmert said he would start taking the drug hydroxychloroquine in the coming days.
"My doctor and I are all in," he said.
Gohmert
said he will take zinc and azithromycin along with hydroxychloroquine
-- the same combination promoted by Dr. Stella Immanuel, a little-known
Houston-based physician who Trump has touted despite her long history of fringe claims. Several high-quality studies show the anti-malarial drug alone or in combination with others does not help Covid-19 patients.
Other Republican House members have questioned using masks
Gohmert
is just one of several conservative Republicans who have pushed back on
mask-wearing at the Capitol, sometimes causing tension during committee
meetings.
During Tuesday's hearing
with Attorney General Bill Barr, House Judiciary Committee Chairman
Jerry Nadler urged a handful of Republican members to keep their masks
on.
"I would remind Mr. Jordan, Mr.
Biggs and Mr. Johnson to stop violating the rules of the committee, to
stop violating the safety of the members of the committee, to stop
holding themselves out as not caring by refusing to wear their masks,"
the New York Democrat said, referring to GOP Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio,
Andy Biggs of Arizona, and Mike Johnson of Louisiana.
"Is it permissible to drink a sip of coffee?" Johnson countered.
Gohmert
was also present at the hearing. He wore a mask during the proceedings
and was not included in the group Nadler reprimanded. He was seen
maskless outside the room near Barr at one point, however.
Barr
was tested for coronavirus on Wednesday and the test was negative,
according to a Justice Department official. The incubation period for
the virus can be between two and 14 days.
In
another hearing Wednesday, Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California
interjected to remind members who are physically present that they are
required to wear a mask.
"He was a
member who was unwilling to consistently wear a mask," Lofgren said of
Gohmert. "It's a reminder that this is very serious and if you're
unwilling to wear a mask that covers your nose and your mouth, please do
leave the room and we'll arrange for you to participate remotely."
House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, also responded to the news.
"I'm
concerned about the irresponsible behavior of many of the Republicans
who have chosen to consistently flout well-established public health
guidance, perhaps out of fealty to their boss, Donald Trump, who is the
head of the anti-mask movement in America," Jeffries said at a news
conference. "That's a concern."
Covid-19 on Capitol Hill
A
number of lawmakers tested positive for the virus in the early days of
the pandemic, while others had to quarantine after being exposed to the
virus.
The House has taken
precautions to limit the spread of the virus, including instituting a
form of remote voting for members who are unwilling or unable to travel.
Members who are physically present now vote in alphabetical groups to
limit how many people are on the House floor at the same time. Members
have also adopted virtual meeting technology for many House hearings.
In
May, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell jointly rejected an offer from the White House to send rapid
testing resources to the Capitol complex.
They
said they wanted "to keep directing resources to the front-line
facilities" fighting the virus, and that lawmakers and staff would use
"current testing protocols that the Office of the Attending Physician
has put in place until these speedier technologies become more widely
available."
House Majority Leader
Steny Hoyer said Wednesday that the House isn't mandating testing for
lawmakers at this point, but "we're discussing that."
"This is, I think, a moment where we ought to discuss it again," Hoyer said.
This story has been updated with additional developments Wednesday.
