Reporters held White House Press Secretary Jean-Pierre and CDC’s Dr. Ashish Jha’s feet to the fire for mixed messaging and poor optics when Vice President Kamala Harris refused to follow CDC guidelines during an official function over the weekend.
Harris, who has received the COVID vaccination and several boosters, tested positive for COVID twice in the last ninety days. However, a recent video shows a maskless Harris greeting and hugging people at a public gathering. Her actions conflict with the CDC COVID guidelines the Biden administration pushes to enforce.
Her COVID status follows the announcement that vaccinated and boosted President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID last Thursday.
CDC guidelines for those testing positive for COVID specify there should be no “close contact” for 10 days, and that a “well-fitting mask” should be worn when around others.
Video shows Harris removing her mask at a public event and hugging Birmingham, Alabama, Mayor Randall Woodfin. Harris went on to speak at the event without a mask.
RNC Research, an organization committed to “exposing the lies, hypocrisy, and failed far-left policies of Joe Biden,” tweeted:
Reporters challenged Harris’ hypocritical behavior at a White House press briefing on Monday. When MJ Lee of CNN repeatedly questioned Dr. Jha of the CDC about Harris violating CDC guidelines, Jha seemed flummoxed and lamely attempted to sidestep answering the questions directly.
Lee asked: “Vice President Harris is a close contact of the president’s, and the CDC guidance says that if you’re a close contact, you want to wear a well-fitting mask when you’re around other people. She just spoke at a conference in D.C. and she hugged someone without a mask on. She was also maskless for most of that conversation. Would you have recommended that she keep her mask on, given that that is the CDC guidance?”
Jha attempted to be excused from responding, saying he had not “been tracking the vice president’s activities” and therefore could not comment on her actions.
Recognizing that even young school children are expected to understand and follow the CDC’s COVID protocols, Lee pressed the doctor:
“I guess she isn’t following the CDC guidance though — right? — if she is hugging someone without a mask on?I just wanted your clarification on that.”
Jha acknowledged that “the CDC guidance is clear” but again said he could not offer additional information as he had not seen the incident.
Again, noting that Harris’ behavior was clearly a breach of CDC’s guidance, Lee pushed: “She took off the mask and she embraced someone. You don’t have to see it. I mean, that’s what happened.”
Jha, one of the Biden’s administration’s experts on COVID, provided the pedestrian response: “Yeah, so usually when we think about people having contact, it’s for an extended period of time. Again, I didn’t see the hug. I don’t know how long the hug lasted. But it’s very hard for me to comment.”
Evidently, brief breaches of CDC guidelines are permitted as long as you are a high-ranking DNC official.
Blazemedia reported that Harris’ office has “declined to address Harris skirting CDC guidance.”
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