Jen Psaki Defends Kamala Harris for Ignoring Mask Rules, Claims VP Is Maskless in Senate Because of Her "Important Role"

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, defended Kamala Harris on Monday for not wearing a face mask again, this time in a video shared by the White House showing the vice president going bare-faced indoors.

On Friday, the White House released a video of Harris, First Lady Jill Biden, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, and members of Jackson's family meeting in the Oval Office sans face masks to celebrate Jackson's Supreme Court nomination.

Jen Psaki Claims Kamala Harris Wears Mask Inside Oval Office

After her communications director Jamal Simmons tested positive for COVID-19 last week, Harris was identified as a close contact. Psaki reiterated her argument from last week, claiming that seeing the first black woman appointed to the Supreme Court was an emotional day for Harris, the nation's first black vice president.

She noted that on Monday, both Biden and Harris tested negative for COVID-19. The White House spent the latter part of last week defending Harris after she refused to wear a face mask on the Senate floor during Jackson's confirmation vote on Wednesday, and then again at the outdoor ceremony celebrating Jackson's confirmation on Friday, Daily Mail reported.

The White House and other political officials have been chastised for not following the same COVID-19 rules as the general public. At a period when the state had very stringent restrictions, California Governor Gavin Newsom was caught maskless at a luxury restaurant for a lobbyist's birthday party.

Former President Donald Trump's rallies were dubbed as superspreader events. Protests for Black Lives Matter were judged safe. Psaki added at the same press conference on Monday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will decide if the federal transit mask rule would be extended again. It will run out on April 18th.

Video Contradicts Jen Psaki's Explanation

As public opinion changes toward more economic and social openness, the Biden administration has been torn between maintaining maximum COVID-19 prudence and declaring triumph and turning the page on the pandemic.

After attending White House events this week, including one where she kissed the president, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tested positive for COVID-19. The White House disputed that there was close interaction with Joe Biden. On Monday, Pelosi was found to be negative, according to the Washington Examiner.

On Monday, Kamala Harris was photographed leaving the Oval Office wearing a face mask as she joined Vice President Joe Biden for an event to combat phantom weapons. She removed the mask when she entered the Rose Garden and wore it again when she returned to the Oval Office with the president after the ceremony.

According to CDC standards, people who are exposed but have been vaccinated and boosted, such as Harris, should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure.

On Friday, when she stepped out of the White House with Jackson and President Biden for a ceremony on the South Lawn marking Jackson's confirmation, Harris was not wearing a face mask, and she did not wear one during the event. Psaki said the vice president wore a face mask indoors on Friday but took it off for the gathering outside, as per Fox News.