Elite New York Democrats attending a Brooklyn private party did not adhere to the state’s coronavirus restrictions, photographs show.
The event was a private birthday party for Carl Scissura, who is the head of the New York Building Congress, a trade organization, the New York Daily News reported Thursday. Other attendees included former Brooklyn Democratic Party Chairman Frank Seddio and Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Ingrid Lewis-Martin, the publication reported.
Photographs of the event showed that very few people wore masks, though the party attendees stood in close proximity to one another as they chatted. One photograph showed both Seddio and Lewis-Martin chatting maskless. (RELATED: Photos Reveal Gov. Gavin Newsom Dining Indoors, Glass Door Reportedly Had To Be Closed Because Party Was Too Loud)
Adherence to COVID regulations was checked at the door at a recent birthday party featuring a number of Brooklyn big shots https://t.co/yvwJKCJyoi
— Shant Shahrigian (@ShantRS) November 19, 2020
“This is a particularly trying time and there were shortcomings that I regret,” Scissura said in a statement, according to the New York Daily News, emphasizing that the party was not his idea. “I greatly appreciate the gesture of my friends to throw me a surprise party, but we all must follow strict protocols so we can get past this pandemic.”
Scissura also said that guests had their temperatures taken before they entered the party and that everyone was given a mask, the Daily News reported. (RELATED: Feinstein, Who Pushed For Nationwide Mask Mandate, Seen Maskless In Public)
Lewis-Martin said the party took place last Saturday — only a few days after Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued coronavirus restrictions mandating that private groups be no larger than 10 people.
“The limit will be implemented due to the recent prevalence of COVID spread resulting from small indoor gatherings,” the governor’s office said Nov. 11. “These gatherings have become a major cause of cluster activity across the state.”
Additional Democratic leaders have also recently violated their own COVID restrictions. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom was photographed dining maskless indoors at one of the world’s highest rated restaurants, despite his restrictive coronavirus guidelines for Californians.
Newsom has urged California residents to wear face masks “in between bites” at restaurants. He announced Monday that California is “pulling an emergency brake” and mandating the most restrictive tier of coronavirus restrictions for more than two dozen California counties.
Seddio told the Daily News: “I farted about four times, but fortunately it didn’t smell. That was a good thing that happened. My wife punched me twice ‘cause she heard me do it. That was the most exciting part of the night.”
He also said that only about 10 people attended the party, but after being told pictures showed over a dozen attendees, he sarcastically told the Daily News: “That’s a great angle … I can’t even imagine that.”
Lewis-Martin told the publication that she has “antibodies” since she “was already sick,” so she had “no concern about spreading or anything.” She also said that groups of people came and went in “shifts” and that the photographs may have been taken during a time when these shifts overlapped.
Cuomo’s office, Seddio, Lewis-Martin and Scissura did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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