Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said on Newsmax Thursday that the House’s rules about mask wearing while on the floor are “about theater,” rather than health after he and several other Republicans were fined for breaking them.
The congressman was fined $500 two weeks ago for refusing to wear a mask while in the House of Representatives chamber, as were several other GOP representatives in refusing to wear masks despite measures put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Massie said on “National Report” that “we’re fighting this fight on the House floor because [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi, [D-Calif.,] is setting a predicate for all the private employers across the United States. Whatever they can get away with on the House floor, they will do to the common people. And it’s all about theater, because the fine that she imposed on me and nine other members of Congress who had a small revolt last week and went on the floor without our masks, the fine only applies if you’re in front of a TV camera, i.e., if you’re in the hearing room or on the floor of the House, you can be fined $500 for the first infraction, then $2,500 after that, and they take it directly out of your paycheck.”
