On Monday morning, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows walked away from reporters when asked to wear a mask while answering their questions.
Meadows remained close with President Donald Trump during his COVID-19 infection by staying with him throughout his hospital stay, so Meadows was exposed to someone COVID-positive. However, he continued to visit the Capitol and, in doing so, prolonged the U.S. government’s exposure to coronavirus.
Meadows was speaking with reporters outside of Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing, and when asked to put a mask on to answer questions, which he took off, he walked away.
“I’m not going to talk through the mask,” Meadows said.
This behavior is not unique to the chief of staff. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who was COVID-positive only ten days ago, spoke at Barrett’s hearing without a mask, despite having the option to deliver his statements from home.
