Fox News contributor Juan Williams said Wednesday that while he agreed elected officials should follow their own coronavirus restrictions, the real problem was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Williams addressed the issue on “The Five” alongside Sandra Smith, Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld and Dagen McDowell, explaining that having politicians who enacted the right policies was more important than having politicians who would abide by those policies themselves. (RELATED: ‘It’s Kind Of Like Having A Fat Trainer’: Jesse Watters Slams Hypocritical COVID-19 Regulations)
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Smith began the segment with a list of Democratic politicians who had been caught engaging in activities — such as traveling or dining in groups that exceeded the CDC guidelines — that did not align with the recommendations and restrictions they had put in place.
“Why do these stories continue?” Smith asked. “Politicians flouting their own guidelines.”
“These guys are hypocrites and they should be called out for it, I don’t think there’s any question about it,” Williams replied, adding, “You know these are, to my mind this is bad actions by politicians because people follow examples and that’s not good but I’d rather have bad acting politicians than bad policies that hurt people and the policies are the right policies, the policies are good.”
“Then why don’t they follow them?” Smith pushed back.
“I think that they should but you know, I think elites, sometimes they have their own rules,” Williams said pivoting to attack McConnell. “The real person that’s hurting people, if you want to know a politician who’s actions are actually having an adverse effect is Mitch McConnell right now blocking any kind of congressional help for people who are unemployed.”
“Hold on. Let’s not get away from what this Austin Mayor did,” Smith quickly redirected the conversation, referencing the Facebook message Democratic Mayor Steve Adler posted Nov. 9 — while on vacation in Mexico himself — that urged his constituents not to travel.
Adler has since said that he regretted traveling, telling The Hill, “I regret this travel. I wouldn’t travel now, didn’t over Thanksgiving and won’t over Christmas. But my fear is that this travel, even having happened during a safer period, could be used by some as justification for risky behavior. In hindsight, and even though it violated no order, it set a bad example for which I apologize.”