In late July 2021, a mask mandate went into effect a second time for all members of Congress. This safety measure garnered pushback from House Republicans, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi trading verbal barbs over the decision with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (via The Washington Post). However, according to reports, Lauren Boebert took her dissatisfaction with the new mask mandate a step further.
Ben Siegel, ABC’s White House and Capitol Hill correspondent, revealed that Boebert took her anger out on a lowly House floor staffer. “Rep. Lauren Boebert just threw a mask back at a Democratic floor staffer who tried to give her one, per source on the House floor who saw it happen,” he tweeted. “As of last night, the latest House guidance requires mask wearing on the floor and in most group meetings/spaces.”
A witness confirmed the alleged incident to CNN’s Manu Raju who tweeted out a statement from Boebert’s office. “A witness told me they saw GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert throw a mask back at a floor staffer when she was offered one while trying to walk onto the floor maskless. Members can now be fined in the House when maskless,” he tweeted. “‘Rep. Boebert refuses to comply with Speaker Pelosi’s anti-science, totalitarian mask mandate. When offered a mask, she returned it with a quick slide across the table,’ Boebert office says. (A witness said she threw it back at [a] staffer’s face).”