WITHOUT MASK: Senator Mike Lee recently tested positive for covid-19. During the hearing of Amy Barrett in the Senate on Monday, he appeared without a mask. It has provoked reactions. Photo: Shawn Thew, AFP, NTB
–
The hearing of Amy Barrett in the Senate is underway. There, Senator Mike Lee, who tested positive for the coronavirus ten days ago, met without a bandage.
For four days, Conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett will go through a hearing in the Senate, in connection with her being President Donald Trump’s nominee for a new Supreme Court judge.
Barrett arrived with his family on Monday for the first day of the Senate hearing, and the Justice Committee chaired by Trump ally Lindsay Graham is holding the hearing.
As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, there are fewer people in the audience than is usual at such hearings. The audience wears face masks.
Tested positive ten days ago
One of the things that has provoked strong reactions after the first hours of the hearing is that Utah senator Mike Lee, who ten days ago tested positive for covid-19, appeared without a mask.
Lee is one of those infected in the corona outbreak surrounding US President Donald Trump. In connection with the celebration of the nomination for Barrett, Lee participated in a ceremony in Rosehagen in the White House. A video showed him squeezing several people, and shortly after this he tested positive for the virus. At least 15 people have tested positive for the coronavirus after the ceremony.
The White House has not asked for help in tracing the infection. VG has identified 143 of the participants, you can read about it here: Infection in Rosehagen: This is how the virus spread
The American historian Michael Beschloss is among those who ask his almost 500,000 followers on Twitter, why Lee speaks in the Senate without a bandage today.
—HUG: Mike Lee, a Republican senator from Utah, hugged several people on Saturday two weeks ago.
–
Refused to participate physically
Several Democrats announced ahead of Monday’s hearing that they refused to participate physically. Among them was Senator Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ vice presidential candidate, who, like several of his party colleagues, believes that the infection control measures against the coronavirus are too bad during the hearing. She will instead participate digitally from her office in the Senate.
During Harris’ speech, she was quick to criticize Graham for holding the hearing this week, following the many positive corona tests among senators in recent weeks.
– This committee has ignored all requests to keep people safe, including not testing all members present. This is despite a coronavirus outbreak among senators in the committee.
Harris believes the decision to hold the hearing now is ruthless, and that it puts many of those who work around the Senate in danger.
But the Senate, for its part, must have assured that everything is in its most beautiful order. They have reported that more infection control measures have been implemented than required by law.
Refused to test
But the Democrats have demanded that everyone who is to be present in the justice committee must be tested in advance. The committee’s Republican leader, Senator Lindsay Graham, has not agreed.
He stated in advance of the hearing that he would follow national infection control councils, and that testing of each individual person would be unnecessary.
Graham also refused to test himself ahead of a debate against his Democratic opponent Jaime Harrison, two days ago in South Carolina. This was therefore canceled at the last minute, because Harrison expressed concern about Graham’s meetings with other senators who have now tested positive for the coronavirus.
–
VG Discount Codes
A commercial collaboration with kickback.no
–
