Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shared a video showing her shredding what the congresswoman said was a warning she received from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for not wearing a face mask on the House floor.
Ms. Greene, Georgia Republican, shared the video on social media Wednesday shortly after she appeared maskless on the House floor in violation of chamber rules for the second time in as many days.
“You can’t discriminate against people simply because they won’t wear a mask, and today I refused to wear a mask on the House floor, and I received a warning from Speaker Pelosi that leads to fines if I continue to refuse to wear a mask,” Ms. Greene said in the video while displaying a letter she claimed to have received from the California Democrat.
“Well, here’s what I think of your warning, Speaker Pelosi,” Ms. Greene continued prior to feeding the document into a paper shredder.
Representatives are currently required to wear a face mask while on the House floor, unless addressing the chamber, under a rule put in place earlier during the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.
Drew Hammill, a spokesperson for Mrs. Pelosi, told The Washington Times that House members who violate the rule may receive a warning from the sergeant-at-arms, not the House speaker.
William J. Walker, the sergeant-at-arms in the House, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The mask rule for lawmakers was put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, the contagious disease caused by the coronavirus, because it is transmitted in tiny droplets expelled when a person breathes.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, offered a resolution earlier Wednesday that sought to roll back the mask requirement, but it was rejected by a party-line vote of 218-210.
Under the mask rule, lawmakers risk being fined $500 for their first offense and $2,500 for subsequent violations.
Previously, Ms. Greene and several other Republicans were spotted maskless on the House floor Tuesday.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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