Texas Dems slammed for ‘superspreader’ trip as Biden, Pelosi aides catch COVID
Republicans are slamming Texas Democrats for a “superspreader” trip to DC after a White House staffer and an aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tested positive for COVID-19 following meetings with the legislators — who fled their state to stall voting legislation.
At least six Democratic legislators on the lam from the Lone Star State tested positive for the virus after they traveled unmasked aboard a chartered jet to DC to delay a vote on the Republican bill. They met last week with Vice President Kamala Harris and rubbed shoulders with lawmakers and staff on Capitol Hill.
Although CDC rules require ordinary airplane passengers to wear masks to prevent the spread of the virus, the fact that the flight was privately chartered allowed the Democrats to flout that health guidance as they posed for selfies to promote their trip.
The apparent transmission chain brings COVID-19 closer to President Biden, 78, and Pelosi, 81, whose ages make them more at risk for serious illness. Both Biden and Pelosi (D-Calif.) are vaccinated, lowering their risk of contracting the virus or having to be hospitalized if they do.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a press briefing Tuesday that the White House aide has “mild symptoms.”
Psaki admitted “there have been” additional “breakthrough” infections among vaccinated staffers, but she would not say how many or when they were detected.
She bristled at a reporter’s question about the trip being a “superspreader.”
“Well, I would say that’s not a characterization we’re making from here,” Psaki said.
Asked for her message to the Texas Democrats, Psaki said: “Our message continues to be thanks for standing up for voting rights and the rights of Americans to have their voices heard at the voting booth. And we appreciate their efforts in that regard.”
But Republicans say the trip was a publicity stunt that went awry.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) tweeted, “How many infections qualifies as a #superspreader and at what point do we call this the #TexasVariant? 6 of the democrats who traveled from Texas and 2 of the staff they met in DC are now infected.”
Travis County, Texas, Republican Party Chairman Matt Mackowiak jeered: “A farce becomes a super spreader event.”
In a jab at Democrats, who routinely chastise Republicans for being reluctant to wear masks, the satirical publication Babylon Bee posted an article titled, “Dangerous Anti-Science Extremists Hold Super-Spreader Event In D.C.”
Last year, critics of then-President Donald Trump slammed him for hosting a Rose Garden nomination event for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Many attendees, including Trump, caught the virus.
The scope of the outbreak associated with the Texas Democrats is unclear. A Republican congressman, Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida, separately disclosed Monday that he caught the bug.
Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician of the Capitol, wrote in a memo cited by the Daily Mail that “[s]everal vaccinated Congressional staff members and 1 Member of Congress have acquired infection” as the more contagious Delta variant of the virus spreads. It’s unclear if any of the other Capitol staffers were linked to the Texas delegation.
“The Delta variant virus has been detected in Washington, DC and in the Capitol buildings,” Monahan wrote.
Republicans say the Texas Democrats’ trip is premised on an inaccurate description of legislation.
The bill would prevent officials from sending unsolicited absentee ballot applications and would require applicants to write their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number on applications. It would ban voting stations from remaining open for 24 hours and would ban drive-through voting. It would also state that partisan poll watchers are allowed to stand near election workers at polls.
The new COVID-19 cases in DC were disclosed in statements from the White House and Pelosi’s office.
A White House official told reporters, “Yesterday, a fully vaccinated White House official tested positive for COVID-19 off campus. In accordance with our rigorous COVID-19 protocols, the official remains off campus as they wait for a confirmatory PCR test. The White House Medical Unit has conducted contact tracing interviews and determined no close contacts among White House principals and staff.”
Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said, “Yesterday, a fully vaccinated senior spokesperson in the speaker’s press office tested positive for COVID after contact with members of the Texas state legislature last week. This individual has had no contact with the speaker since exposure.”
Hammill added, “The entire press office is working remotely today with the exception of individuals who have had no exposure to the individual or have had a recent negative test.”
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to jail the Democrats for impeding legislative business with their quorum-busting trip to DC.
Abbott said Tuesday in a Fox News interview that when the Democrats return to Texas, he will call a new special session of the state legislature to pass the election reform bill.
Harris last week lauded the “courageous” legislators for their “great sacrifice” and likened them to abolitionist Frederick Douglass and women’s suffrage activists.
The Texas state Senate passed the election reform bill on Tuesday, but the legislature’s lower chamber does not have enough members present to allow for a quorum.
