The White House remained on the defensive Monday about Vice President Kamala Harris, who had been deemed a close contact for COVID-19, appearing unmasked last week during the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted that both Harris and President Joe Biden had tested negative for the virus in the past 24 hours. She said the historic occasion on Friday contributed to Harris being unmasked.
“It was an emotional day. It was a historic day. And there were moments when she was not wearing a mask inside … but she was wearing it 99.9% of the time,” Psaki told reporters.
Psaki said, “There are moments when she was human and didn’t have a fat mask on in a photo.”
The White House had said on Friday that Harris had been masked indoors. “I will tell you that the vice president has been wearing a mask inside,” Psaki said. She was pressed on Harris being maskless at times while presiding over the Senate during the Jackson confirmation vote.
“She was playing an important role in confirming or overseeing the confirmation of the first black woman to the Supreme Court,” Psaki said.
“Is there a public health carve-out for that?” Fox News’s Peter Doocy shot back.
“In fact, the vice president wore a mask inside today when she was both with the president, with her staff, other people. She was outside at the event,” Psaki said Friday. “She was socially distanced for 99.9% of the event today. And she had an emotional moment, which is understandable.”
Jackson is the first black woman confirmed to the Supreme Court. She will assume the seat when Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement becomes effective at the end of the court term in June. Harris is the first black woman to serve as vice president. The White House had previously acknowledged their outdoor embrace.
Those in the White House and other elected officials have come under fire for whether they abide by the same COVID-19 protocols they require of the public. California Gov. Gavin Newsom was memorably photographed maskless at a fancy restaurant for a lobbyist’s birthday celebration at a time when the state had fairly strict restrictions.
Rallies for former President Donald Trump were described as “superspreader” events. Black Lives Matter protests were deemed safe.
At the same briefing Monday, Psaki said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would make the decision on whether the federal transit mask mandate would once again be extended. It is set to expire on April 18.
The Biden administration has generally been struggling with whether to keep embracing maximum COVID-19 caution or to declare victory and turn the page of the pandemic as public opinion shifts toward greater economic and social openness.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tested positive for COVID-19 after appearing at White House events last week, including an instance in which she kissed the president. The White House denied this constituted close contact with the 79-year-old Biden. Pelosi, 82, tested negative on Monday.
But Harris was considered a close contact under CDC guidelines after communications director Jamal Simmons tested positive. Her husband had previously tested positive for the virus. The reception for Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, was designated a superspreader event by Dr. Anthony Fauci in 2020.
Attorney General Merrick Garland and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo were among the slew of prominent Washington figures who tested positive after the Gridiron Dinner.
