Sen. Mike Lee attends the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Judge Amy Coney Barrett before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Oct. 12. Photo: Alex Edelman/Pool/Getty Images
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) attended the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett in person and gave his opening statement without a mask, a little more than a week after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Details: Lee told Hugh Hewitt on Monday he was cleared to attend the hearing in person from the Office of the Attending Physician. "I’ve gone through the appropriate number of days, and I’ve been keeping my temperature under control, and I’m no longer contagious," Lee said, explaining why he felt comfortable being in the committee room.
- Lee was one of two Republicans on the committee to test positive for the virus after attending the Rose Garden ceremony at the White House for Barrett, which was a likely "superspreader event."
- Many Democrats were participating in the hearing remotely.
What they're saying: "Based upon current CDC guidelines, you have met criteria to end COVID-19 isolation for those with mild to moderate disease," Brian Monahan, from the Office of the Attending Physician, said in a letter released by Lee's office.
- "Specifically, it has been greater than 10 days since symptom onset, you have had no fever in absence of fever reducing medication for at least 24 hours, and your other symptoms have improved. The CDC does not recommend repeat SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing if these criteria are met."
- Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham said, "As to the hearing room, I doubt if there's any room in the country that's been given more attention and detail to make sure it is CDC compliant."