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CNN anchor Brianna Keilar had a tense exchange with GOP Florida State Rep. Anthony Sabatini, who has filed lawsuits against cities that are mandating the wearing of masks.
Keilar began the interview by pouncing on Sabatini over the rising coronavirus cases in major metro areas in his state. However, the representative dismissed what he suggested was the media's fixation on the number of cases instead of "hospitalizations and fatalities," which he insisted have either "flatlined or gone down" in states like his.
"So if we focus on the two more relevant metrics, Florida is doing just fine," Sabatini told Keilar.
The "CNN Newsroom" host remained combative, citing the 301,810 COVID cases and 4,521 deaths from the virus and the stressed ICU availability throughout the state.
"You say you're doing fine?" Keilar exclaimed. "You're at the epicenter of a pandemic, and you can't even admit that?"
Sabatini rejected the "epicenter" charge, saying that the rise in cases was predicted when the economy was reopened.
Keilar then grilled the lawmaker on masks, something Sabatini said he was fine with the government encouraging but not mandating.
"Penalizing people with 60 days in jail- it's out of control," Sabatini said. "We don't need the government putting people in jail in the middle of a big economic recession."
The CNN anchor knocked the Florida Republican after he admitted that he does not wear a mask in places like grocery stores and insisted he's putting others "at risk." Sabatini pushed back, saying that as long as he maintains social distancing, wearing a mask shouldn't be required.
"Why wouldn't you wear a mask in a grocery store?" Keilar asked. "What is it about the mask that you don't like?"
She later pressed the lawmaker if he knew anyone who died from the virus and since "it's proven that masks save lives, wouldn't you want to see their lives saved?"
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"There is some importance to masks," Sabatini said. "I think the media is grossly exaggerating their effectiveness in circumstances to the point where people think if they wear a mask they're not going to get COVID, when really it's just a drop in the bucket in terms of precautions you can take."
"The media is repeating what public health experts are saying," Keilar shot back. "I mean just to be clear, you're not a doctor and you're not a public health expert, right?"
As he attempted to respond, she added, "You're not, I'll just answer for you."