Cruz Slams Democrat for Asking Senator to Wear Mask

He calls Sherrod Brown a 'complete ass'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 17, 2020 3:05 PM CST
Cruz Calls Democrat an 'Ass' Over Mask Request
Sen. Sherrod Brown speaks before the arrival of Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden at a rally at Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, in Cleveland.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Sen. Ted Cruz, who represents a state where the pandemic has killed more than 20,000 people, mocked a colleague Monday for his "idiotic" request for masks to be worn in their workplace. The Texas Republican slammed 68-year-old Sen. Sherrod Brown after the Democrat asked GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan to "please wear a mask," CNN reports. Brown "is being a complete ass," Cruz tweeted. "He wears a mask to speak—when nobody is remotely near him—as an ostentatious sign of fake virtue." When Brown made the request, Sullivan, who was around 50 feet away and presiding over the Senate, told him: "I don't wear a mask when I’m speaking like most senators. I don't need your instruction."

Brown replied, "I know you don't need my instruction, but there clearly isn't much interest in this body in public health. We have a president who hasn't shown up at the coronavirus task force meeting in months." The Hill notes that CDC guidance states that people "should wear masks in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household," especially when indoors, even if they are more than 6 feet away. Masks are mandatory in the House but only recommended in the Senate, the Washington Post reports. Most senators from both parties wear masks when on the Senate floor, though holdouts include Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who was infected in March and claims he is now immune. (More Senate stories.)

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