House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) made an unfortunate verbal slip-up on Wednesday in wake of Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) testing positive for COVID-19.
In a video posted by the Recount, McCarthy discusses how “you want to be able to trace” the virus.
“Just as Congressman COVID-” the GOP leader says before correcting himself. “…Congressman Louie Gohmert says that he doesn’t have any symptoms, there could be other people like that.”
Gohmert, who has frequently paraded around Capitol Hill without a mask while peddling decidedly unscientific comments about COVID-19, confirmed earlier on Wednesday that he had contracted the coronavirus and was asymptomatic.
The Republican lawmaker’s announcement came after he repeatedly disregarded health experts’ recommendations on wearing masks, which aim to prevent asymptomatic people like Gohmert from unknowingly passing on the virus to others. However, Gohmert still refused to back down from his aversion to masks after his diagnosis and even suggested that wearing a mask caused the infection.
