A Republican lawmaker is taking a swipe at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over the House’s mask mandate.
“Pelosi has decreed– she’s like the Gestapo, I call her a ‘Gestapelosi,’ mmk? Gestapelosi has decreed that members must wear masks or get fined. That staff members can be arrested and jailed,” Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) said during a press conference on Monday.
He continued, “She is the Gestapelosi. It’s unbelievable that she’s doing this kinds of stuff.”
As defined by Merriam-Webster, Gestapo is “a secret-police organization employing underhanded and terrorist methods against persons suspected of disloyalty.” It is a Nazi reference.
Republican says Nancy Pelosi is like the gestapo and keeps referring to her as “gestapelosi” over masks pic.twitter.com/L0KLfyr11J
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 23, 2021
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was also seen at the press conference held by the House Freedom Caucus. She has come under fire for Nazi-era comparisons regarding COVID-19 mandates.
Republican lawmakers have sharply criticized the House mask mandate.
“This rule is stupid. Let’s just be very blunt about this,” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) previously said.
He also said, “The Senate has no rules, so it’s funny how Covid operates differently here than in the Senate.”
As CNN reports, “Based on the House rules, members first get warnings for evading mask rules, then $500 fines for second offenses and $2,500 for offenses after that. The House Committee on Ethics has issued a considerable number of fines and warnings since the mask rule was first instated.”
Lawmakers did not have to wear a face mask on the House floor up starting on June 11, but the mandate was reinstated in late July by Capitol Attending Physician Dr. Brian Monahan amid the Delta variant of COVID-19 spread and new guidance, CNN notes.