'The Five' blast media for silence on Texas Democrats' 'super spreader' tour
Texas Democrats contract COVID after fleeing state avoid a vote; reaction from 'The Five'
A sixth Texas Democrat who fled the state over a GOP voting bill has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and is self-isolating, according to a report Monday.
The Dallas Morning News, citing a Texas House representative, reported on the diagnosis. The Texas House Democrats did not immediately respond to an after-hours email from Fox News.
NBC News reported that the Texas Democrats released a statement on Monday that said there will be no more daily updates on new cases.
"We’re focusing on our daily testing, following and going beyond CDC guidelines, social distancing and wearing masks as much as possible. We’re just not going to release daily counts," a spokeswoman told the network.
More than 50 Texas lawmakers arrived in Washington last week after leaving their home state on a private charter flight. They received criticism from Republicans and others after a photo showed them maskless on the plane, though federal pandemic guidelines don’t require masks to be worn on private aircraft.
Supporters see them as defending democracy itself, while their critics see their D.C. jaunt as an exclusive summertime sightseeing tour of Washington.
The situation unfolding in Texas has little gray area. Republicans — like Gov. Greg Abbott — see the bill as a common-sense approach to voting. Abbott appeared on Fox News earlier this week and blamed President Biden and Democrats for spreading "misinformation" about the sweeping elections overhaul bill.
REP. RONNY JACKSON HITS TEXAS DEMOCRATS ON MASK HYPOCRISY, SAYS THEY SHOULDN'T BE TAKE SERIOUSLY
He insisted that the bill in Texas is "making it EASIER to vote & harder to cheat."
The small outbreak has raised concerns in D.C.
Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative for COVID-19 after meeting with several Texas House Democratic lawmakers, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
"I think the vice president’s office put out that she was tested and there was no detection of COVID-19," Psaki said. "They also put out some specific details about their proximity to the individuals who tested positive as well. We take these precautions incredibly seriously and abide by the guidance of our help and medical experts."
Fox News' Thomas Barrabi and the Associated Press contributed to this report
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