Mullin
STAFF
Staff, dispatches
Second District Congressman Markwayne Mullin refused to wear a mask in a crowded room with fellow House colleagues during last week’s attack on the Capitol, multiple sources said, and told the person who offered him one: “I’m not trying to be political here. “
Mullin can be seen in a video first posted by Punch bowl speak with Delaware Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester, who is trying to give her a face mask.
Several other Republicans have also refused the masks.
The case has become a little more problematic because several members of the House have tested positive for COVID-19 since they were forced into solitary confinement during the assault on Capitol Hill. Representative Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., And Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, DN.J., have confirmed they have contracted the virus.
It was not clear what Mullin meant by his remark, and his office did not respond to a request for clarification on Monday.
During a teleconference Jan. 4, Mullin said he was skeptical of the masks’ effectiveness in reducing the risk of COVID-19.
Capitol Hill attending physician Dr Brian Moynihan had urged all lawmakers to be tested for COVID-19 over the weekend
“Many members of the House community were in protective isolation in the large room – some for several hours,” he said, adding that “individuals may have been exposed to another occupant infected with coronavirus.”
