One day after reimposing the indoor mask mandate for the District of Columbia (D.C.) on Friday, Mayor Muriel Bowser decided the rules did not apply to herself.
Bowser officiated an outdoor wedding on Saturday at a hotel in the Adams Morgan section of the city but was later caught without her mask on at the indoor reception, thus defying the restrictions she set for the rest of the city.
A photo captured by the Washington Examiner shows Bowser sitting at a dinner table maskless, despite not appearing to be actively eating or drinking.
When the outlet attempted to question the mayor, “security blockaded the free press,” according to the outlet.
Not only was Bowser not complying with the indoor mask mandate, but other guests also appeared to be in defiance of the mayor’s orders at the indoor venue.
Though the photograph indicates otherwise, a Bowser spokesperson assured that the Democratic mayor was in line with the mandate.
“The Mayor wore a mask indoors in compliance with the mandate, and the organizers and venue staff worked to create a safe environment for the staff and guests,” the spokesperson told FOX 5 DC.
Bowser’s behavior contrasts with the statements she made Thursday in regard to the importance and effectiveness of masking.
“Given the trends in cases that we see, we want to get ahead of it, nip it in the bud. We know masks can be very effective in doing that,” she said in light of the growing concern of the Delta variant.
Less than 24 hours prior, Bowser was also seen maskless in a photo posted to Twitter of her and others at a Dave Chappelle comedy event in the city, once again defying the orders she mandated hours before.
Bowser is not the only mayor to adopt the “rules for thee but not for me” attitude to the mask mandates, however.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot traveled to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts this past weekend to officiate the wedding of Chris Kennedy, the son of Robert F. Kennedy, and was photographed maskless, according to reported photographs from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Even though the event appears to have been outdoors, with hundreds in attendance, her close photos maskless are questionable in light of the recent narrative by the politicians themselves.