Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) was slammed on Wednesday after he was caught hanging out maskless in the state of Florida, which comes after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) faced backlash over the same thing last week.
“The California Democrat has repeatedly accused conservative lawmakers of being responsible for the ongoing covid wave and last week blamed the GOP for ‘canceled vacations’ and for having to wear ‘masks everywhere’ again just before the new year,” The Daily Mail reported. “But Swalwell, himself, was apparently able to go ahead with his holiday travel plans and ditch his mask just days later, when he was spotted hanging out at the posh Loews Miami Beach Hotel.”
“Despite being out of his usual office attire, it wasn’t long before the congressman was recognized and approached by bystanders who took note of his unlikely visit to the Sunshine State,” the report later added. “But when the hotel guest went on to ask about his lack of face covering and if he was vaccinated, Swalwell was left ‘speechless,’ according to the source. Swalwell, like many fellow Democrats, has been a huge proponent of mask and vaccine mandates throughout the pandemic and has openly criticized his Republican counterparts for failing to enforce such measures.”
Swalwell was quickly met with backlash online by a variety of commentators.
“If Swalwell truly believed his own rhetoric about COVID, Florida, and mandates, he would not take his maskless unvaccinated baby to Loews Hotel South Beach during the Omicron case surge in Miami,” Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Governor Ron DeSantis, tweeted. “It’s not hypocrisy. It’s hierarchy.”
“…maskless Eric Swalwell, his maskless friend, and his maskless infant are NOT sitting outdoors,” she added. “They are pictured in the lobby of Loews Hotel near Bar Collins. Indoors. Here is a photo from another angle. Check out the chairs. Very recognizable if you’ve been.”
Sorry BlueAnons, maskless Eric Swalwell, his maskless friend, and his maskless infant are NOT sitting outdoors. They are pictured in the lobby of Loews Hotel near Bar Collins. Indoors. Here is a photo from another angle. Check out the chairs. Very recognizable if you've been. pic.twitter.com/fgX946ThMY
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 (@ChristinaPushaw) January 6, 2022
Governor DeSantis responded to Swalwell and Ocasio-Cortez hanging out in his state during an interview with Fox News on Thursday morning, saying that it showed a “ruling class mentality.”
“The number of lockdown politicians that have locked down their people, lectured their people, cast aspersions on Florida, who then turn around and then seek refuge in Florida, it’s so much it’s become a cottage industry. I mean, you have governors, you have mayors, you have members of Congress. They say one thing and then they live under different sets of rules,” DeSantis said. “And I think the thing about Florida, as we’ve said, you have the ability to make your own decisions. We are not going to use the heavy hand of government to curtail your freedoms or to ruin your livelihoods. And those policies were policies that all those people railed against and yet, they’ll come down here and bask in the Florida sunshine and the Florida freedom.”
“So, I’m glad that Florida is a refuge for people,” he added. “I mean, you know, we are — we’re happy with what we’re doing. But it really shows you that this is a ruling class mentality where they think that they can impose these on other people but that they should not have to follow all the dictates that they constantly spout.”