Jayapal says members of Congress who violate mask mandates ‘are undermining our democracy’

Though, the mask mandate was lifted for Washington, DC on March 1, masks are still required at Climate Pledge Arena, home of the Seattle Kraken, the largest indoor venue in Jayapal’s district of Seattle, as well as at indoor venues in King County and across Washington state.

As recently as late last month, Jayapal was still pushing masking. During an interview on CNN, the "Squad" member told the host, "This is about wearing a mask, which is mandated in the Capitol – it is mandated in the Capitol. It is to protect our safety, our collective safety, the safety of our staffers …"

She added, "This has happened to me, where you get on an elevator and people refuse to wear a mask and your choices are to get off the elevator, or to get on the elevator and tell them to wear a mask."

"I really believe that our colleagues (who) refuse to even adhere to the basic norms of civility are undermining our democracy and, of course, we’re seeing it in more serious ways, like the Jan. 6 insurrection is part of that and part of the attempt to take down a legitimate democracy from functioning in the way it should," she concluded.

Jayapal had previously stated in a Twitter rant almost a week after the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021: "I just received a positive COVID-19 test result after being locked down in a secured room at the Capitol where several Republicans not only cruelly refused to wear a mask but recklessly mocked colleagues and staff who offered them one."

"Only hours after Trump incited a deadly assault on our Capitol, many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic—creating a superspreader event ON TOP of a domestic terrorist attack."

Jayapal then proposed that "Any Member who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy. I'm calling for every single Member who refuses to wear a mask in the Capitol to be fined and removed from the floor by the Sergeant at Arms."

Ironically, Jaypal was spotted maskless during the Capital riot itself.

She was also busted violating indoor masking mandates during a birthday party in September 2021.