Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is not happy that one of his fellow senators called on members of Congress to wear masks while they are in the U.S. Capitol.
In a tweet, Cruz called Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) a “complete a**.”
During a speech on the floor of the Senate this week, Brown asked Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) to wear a mask, saying, “I can’t tell you what to do.”
Sullivan shot back, “I don’t wear a mask when I’m speaking like most senators. I don’t need your instruction.”
Brown responded, “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.”
He continued, “We have a majority leader who calls us back here… to vote for judge after judge after judge, exposing all the people who can’t say anything — I understand — the people in front of you, the presiding officer and expose all the staff here and the majority leader just doesn’t seem to care.”
.@SenSherrodBrown: "I'd start by asking the presiding officer to please wear a mask as he speaks…"@SenDanSullivan: "I don't wear a mask when I'm speaking, like most Senators…I don't need your instruction." pic.twitter.com/WQH04hCD53
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 17, 2020
In a tweet responding to Brown’s speech, Senator Cruz wrote, “This is idiotic. Sherrod Brown is being a complete a**. He wears a mask to speak — when nobody is near him — as an ostentatious sign of fake virtue.”
He continued, “[Dan Sullivan] was over 50 feet away, presiding. Last I checked 50 feet is more than 6 feet.”
This is idiotic. @SherrodBrown is being a complete ass. He wears a mask to speak—when nobody is remotely near him—as an ostentatious sign of fake virtue.@DanSullivan_AK was over 50 feet away, presiding. Last I checked 50 feet is more than 6 feet. https://t.co/BoIGrAV7T1
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 17, 2020
The Senate has been been a petri dish for coronavirus over the past several months and Republican senators have been especially hard hit.
The infections started in March when Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) contracted the virus. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) contracted the virus after attending a superspreader event at the White House. After testing positive for the virus, Lee went maskless into Capitol Hill.
Other lawmakers who have tested positive for the virus include Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Tom Tillis (R-NC) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.). In the House of Representatives, the list of legislators who have tested positive for the virus is longer and bipartisan.