Nancy Pelosi Appears to Call Kevin McCarthy ‘Such a Moron’ for Opposing Mask Mandate

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared to call House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy “a moron” for his opposition to mask-wearing on Wednesday. Pelosi was asked about his criticism of a mask mandate while getting into her SUV outside the Capitol. According to several reporters who were present, she offered a brief but scathing response, saying simply, “He’s such a moron.” Pelosi’s comments were followed by a tweet from her deputy chief of staff, however, who would not confirm the remarks. “Unfortunately, we can't verify this audio because of poor quality, but I can confirm that the Speaker believes that saying a mask requirement is ‘not a decision based on science’ is moronic,” Drew Hammier said.

Due to the Delta variant, the CDC has issued new rules on mask wearing, which McCarthy called a decision “conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state.” Mask-wearing will also be mandatory in the House side of the Capitol, according to a memo sent out by the Capitol attending physician this week.