‘COVID Hypocrite’: D.C. Mayor Bowser Faces Backlash After Violating Own Mask Mandate

Mayor Muriel Bowser Poses Maskless at Her Birthday Party
Twitter/@JerryDunleavy
Kyle Morris

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser is facing online backlash after it was reported Sunday that she celebrated her birthday and posed for photos with comedian Dave Chappelle while not wearing a mask, mere hours before her own mask mandate went into effect.

“When your asked to Dj for the Mayor!!! Happy Birthday @mayor_bowser,” the caption on an Instagram post by user Jeffrey Mercer on Friday reportedly read, which included photos of Bowser and Chappelle at the party.

As previously reported by Breitbart News, the initial post appears to have been removed but Twitter user John J. Falcicchio and the Washington Examiner’s Jerry Dunleavy shared the photos in question:

Shortly after the photos surfaced, critics took to social media to shame Bowser for her decision to impose a mask mandate and not follow her own rules in the hours leading up to its implementation, and for also officiating a wedding after it went into effect.

“If Muriel Bowser can’t even follow her own rules, why should others be forced to,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) wrote in a tweet.

Reason senior editor Robby Soave shared the news in a thread and called for Bowser to “resign immediately.”

“She officiated a maskless wedding after it went into effect,” Soave wrote. “Muriel [Bowser] should resign immediately.”

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk took to Twitter to question why the mask mandate applies to “everyone else but her.”

“On Thursday, D.C. Mayor Bowser implemented a new mask mandate that went into effect Saturday,” Kirk wrote. “On Friday, she had a birthday party and didn’t wear a mask. On Saturday, she officiated a wedding maskless. Why does her mandate apply to everyone else but her?”

Mindy Finn, CEO of Citizen Data, also reacted to the news, saying Bowser’s “defiance” of her own mask mandate proves she is a “failed leader.”

“A rule maker who acts like the rules are meaningless is inviting lawlessness,” Finn wrote in a tweet. “I’ve defended Muriel Bowser in the past but her personal defiance of the mask order shows her a failed leader.”

“Is Mayor Bowser really just doing Gov. Newsom a solid by stepping out as the most ostentatious and shameless COVID hypocrite in politics,” questioned Town Hall political editor Guy Benson. “He’s got a recall coming up, after all…”

“Last summer, Mayor Muriel Bowser explicitly flouted *her own* executive order prohibiting mass gatherings in Washington, DC — so it’s not surprising that she’s continuing to flout subsequent orders,” wrote journalist Michael Tracey.

“I guess we now know why Bowser waited until Saturday to implement her mask mandate,” wrote Greg Price, who included photos of a maskless Bowser.

Newsmax host Steve Cortes also reacted to the “power brokers,” who choose to ignore their own mask mandates, saying they are “not actually worried about the disease.”

“The power brokers who want you cowering in fear at the CCP Virus…they themselves are not actually very worried about the disease, as evidenced by their behavior,” Cortes wrote. “Bowser, Dr. Birx, Gov Newsom, Mayor Lightfoot, Pelosi.”

Natalie Johnson, communications director for Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), was also not pleased with Bowser’s behavior, suggesting that businesses in D.C. should not comply with the mandate if she, herself, is not willing to.

“How many times does Bowser have to violate her own COVID rules before DC businesses stop complying,” Johnson questioned in a tweet.

Stephen Miller, a contributor for the Spectator, also called for Bowser’s resignation: “She needs to resign or be recalled. Enough of this.”

Insider columnist Josh Barro reacted to the news, saying Bowser’s actions prove she does not believe the mask mandate is “necessary.”

“Why do officials keep doing this sort of thing, when they could simply not issue the rules they clearly don’t believe are necessary,” Barro wrote in a tweet.

“Anyway, what Muriel Bowser did reflects the facts on the ground: A mask mandate is not warranted by current conditions, because we have the vaccine, and if people want to have a wedding they should proceed as normal with it,” Barro added. “Now she should just make that public policy!”

On Sunday, Bowser’s office attempted to defend her decision to go maskless at the gatherings, blaming “conservative media outlets” for questioning her actions and behavior by “utilizing reports riddled with disinformation.” The statement read:

On Saturday, July 31st, Mayor Bowser officiated an outdoor, rooftop wedding ceremony, followed by an indoor dinner. 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 Friday, July 30th evening event called into question by conservative media was outdoors, on a rooftop.

“We continue to emphasize everyone should be vaccinated as soon as possible and to wear a mask at indoor public settings to protect yourself, your loved ones and your neighbors,” the statement concluded.

As previously reported, D.C.’s latest mask mandate requires anyone over the age of two to mask up when indoors.

Follow Kyle on Twitter @RealKyleMorris and Facebook.

 

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