Mitch McConnell Says He Hasn’t Been White House In Months Due To COVID-19 Concerns

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) said on Thursday during an event in northern Kentucky that he has not been to the White House since August 6. McConnell’s concerns over the White House’s lack of COVID-19 protocols and how “their approach to how to handle this was different from mine” has led the Majority Leader to revert to communicating with President Donald Trump over the phone.

For months, McConnell has not only been wearing a mask, but he has also repeatedly urged others to do the same. Although he has not gone as far as enacting a mask mandate in the Senate, the majority of the Senate members also practice safe social distancing and wear masks. On the other hand, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) mandated face coverings in the lower chamber after a congressman tested positive.

But members of the House of Representatives are not the only ones testing positive. Following the Rose Garden super-spreader event in which President Trump officially announced Amy Coney Barrett as his nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States, Sens. Thom Tillis (R–North Carolina) and Mike Lee (R–Utah) both tested positive for COVID-19. McConnell again urged members of the Senate to stay safe and healthy so they can return when the Senate comes back into session on October 19. “We need to lead now, with extra prudence and care, not just for our own health and well being, but to be able to perform our elected duties and to be examples to the country,” McConnell wrote in an email to GOP senators. “Wear masks, stay distant, and come back safely on the 19th.”