"The opening day of the 117th Congress was the latest example of medical guidance being thrown out the window in favor of what is politically convenient," House Republicans observe in a new statement.
"The detailed guidance on the logistics for January 3rd issued at your direction by the House Sergeant at Arms and Attending Physician were completely abandoned. Despite the science not changing, the guidelines we operated under for your election as Speaker did."
The Republicans also noted how suspicious it was that Democrats took these COVID protocols without their knowledge.
"The result was the crowding of hundreds of members on the House floor for extended periods of time and confusion during yesterday's session," they write. "Additionally, the construction of a plexiglass structure within the House chamber occurred in the early hours of January 3rd. The purpose of the structure was to allow members, who elected to break COVID 19 quarantine to vote. This was done without the knowledge of House Republicans. If truly constructed for everyone's safety, it would have been coordinated and communicated to everyone ahead of time. The reality is, it was built because it was politically beneficial for you to have members vote on your behalf for Speaker."
Read more of the GOP's statement to get a sense of how the Democrats threw medical guidance "out the window in favor of what is politically convenient."
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With Nancy Pelosi's power and speakership on the line...
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) January 5, 2021
Democrats blatantly ignored COVID-19 guidance and let Members break quarantine to vote.
"The latest example of medical guidance being thrown out the window in favor of what is politically convenient." ? pic.twitter.com/583dsYkCNt
With her Speakership on the line, @SpeakerPelosi broke Covid rules & House health protocols to preserve her razor-thin victory.
— Rep. Kevin Brady (@RepKevinBrady) January 5, 2021
This is an #AbuseOfPower. https://t.co/3Qip1Kk3Lj
On Sunday, Pelosi allowed Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) to vote in the speaker's election in person, despite her just testing positive for COVID on Dec. 28. That decision also gave Republicans the chance to expose Pelosi's true intentions.
Looks like @SpeakerPelosi's proxy voting and remote hearing measures are only essential when her leadership position isn't on the line. https://t.co/JRRFkIRjBL
— Rep. Bruce Westerman (@RepWesterman) January 3, 2021