"You're welcome to step away if you like"
Texas Senator Ted Cruz was holding a press conference on Wednesday when he refused to wear a mask despite being politely asked by a reporter.
Cruz then claimed that he was following advice from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a statement that was incorrect.
During the press conference, which was held with other Republican senators to discuss immigration, a reporter asked Cruz whether he "would mind putting a mask on?"
Cruz replied: "Yeah, when I'm talking to the TV camera I'm not going to wear a mask, and all of us have been immunised," referring to the people behind him, who were, coincidentally, all wearing masks.
Even when the reporter simply explained that it would make them feel better, Cruz coldly said "You're welcome to step away if you like." Cruz went on to say that being able to go maskless is "the whole point of a vaccine," and not, you know, less death and illness.
https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1374875375294164994
Cruz argued that he was following CDC guidance, which is patently untrue as they recommend that "people wear masks in public settings, at events and gatherings, and anywhere they will be around other people." Crucially the CDC guidelines also state that people should continue to take precautions in public spaces even after they have been vaccinated."
Cruz's actions also go against the executive order that President Biden passed in January, which states that "individuals in Federal buildings and on Federal lands should all wear masks, maintain physical distance, and adhere to other public health measures."
Cruz has doubled down on his comments though, retweeting the clip of the exchange with the comment "Lefty reporters have lost their minds. #commonsense," in a sinister and shameless example of a senior politician attempting to politicise a pandemic that has killed 540,000 Americans.
Let's not forget that Cruz was close to being the Republican nominee in the 2016 US election instead of Trump. Whilst Trump was undoubtedly an absolute cretin of a president, Cruz has always had a more sinister and evil air about him, as incidents like this prove. We can only hope he never gets that close to power again.
