Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who recently tested positive for COVID-19, attended the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett in person.
Lee tested positive for the virus earlier this month. On Monday, the first day of Barrett’s confirmation hearing began in the Senate, with many senators—not to mention Barrett herself—appearing in person.
Barret was nominated by President Donald Trump to replace former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the nation’s highest court. Ginsburg died last month at 87.
In a statement announcing that he had tested positive, Lee said he “assured” Republican leadership that he would “be back to work in time to join my Judiciary Committee colleagues in advancing the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the committee and then to the full Senate.”
Lee made good on that process on Monday, appearing at the hearing and standing close to other senators.
Seemingly alluding to Lee’s recent diagnosis, Chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) started the confirmation hearing by saying that he doubted “any room in the country” has had “more attention and detail to make sure it’s CDC compliant.”
However, a lot of people online aren’t buying that. Between Lee’s positive test and the amount of people in an enclosed space, many people reacted to Lee’s appearance at the hearing in person, especially given that some committee members, like Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) appeared via video call.
While Lee had a mask when arriving at the hearing, he did not wear one during his opening statement, however other senators physically at the hearing also did not wear a mask during their statements.
Amid the concern online, Lee’s Twitter account posted a press release that showed a letter from the Senate’s attending physician that said the senator “met criteria to end COVID-19 isolation.”