Democrat John Kerry, the U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, was photographed not wearing a mask today while flying in first class and reading a book.
The Tennessee Star reported that Kerry was not eating or drinking when he had his mask off as he waited for the American Airlines flight to take off from Boston to Washington. “He was simply flaunting Biden’s mandatory mask policy.”
@TheTNStar Exclusive: Biden’s @ClimateEnvoy John Kerry, took off his mask as he settled into a book in his first-class seat just before takeoff today on an @AmericanAir flight Boston to DC. He was not eating, nor drinking. He was simply flaunting Biden’s mandatory mask policy. pic.twitter.com/t1wDq9OtxD
— ReporterMcCabe (@NeilWMcCabe2) March 17, 2021
American Airlines responded to photographs that were posted of Kerry online by claiming that they were “actively looking into” the incident, while adding that “every customer is required to wear a mask and our policies haven’t changed.”
“Feels like there’s some St. Patrick’s day ‘malarkey’ afoot on Twitter. Let’s be clear: If I dropped my mask to one ear on a flight, it was momentary,” Kerry claimed without evidence. “I wear my mask because it saves lives and stops the spread. It’s what the science tells us to do.”
However, the person who photographed Kerry told Fox News that Kerry took his mask off after boarding ahead of the other passengers.
“I salute our Very Special Presidential Envoy for Climate for not flying private, but instead flying first class commercial with the rest of us common folk,” the passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, told Fox News. “And while he can’t bring himself to follow his own party’s mask restrictions, we should cut him some slack. Being an elite hypocrite is hard work!”
The passenger pushed back on Kerry’s claim that his mask was only off “momentarily,” saying: “His mask was off for five minutes. If five minutes is ‘momentarily,’ he’s correct. Not sure being in a plane without a mask for five minutes is excusable.”
Uh huh. pic.twitter.com/KAjYbwNPUx
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) March 18, 2021
Biden’s CDC issued an order in January that requires “the wearing of masks by travelers to prevent spread” the coronavirus on airplanes and at airports, among other places.
“Masks are required on board our aircraft,” American Airlines said in a statement. “Our team works diligently to make sure customers are wearing masks properly as they travel with us, and flight attendants pass through the cabin several times during flight to ensure compliance. The crew did not observe Secretary Kerry without a mask, and they were not alerted by other customers to a non-compliance issue. We continue to review the matter and we are reaching out to Secretary Kerry to underscore that all customers are expected to wear masks for the duration of their trip.”
Kerry, a climate alarmist who falsely claims that “we have nine years left” to avert climate catastrophe, has faced scrutiny over his family’s ownership of a private jet, which he used two years ago to receive an environmental award. Kerry responded to criticism that he received over the incident by saying, “it’s the only choice for somebody like me who is traveling the world to win this battle.”