Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser appeared to violate her own indoor mask mandate at an event Thursday night.
Bowser said on Twitter that she spoke at the Jack and Jill On the Hill Legislative Summit, an organization focused on service projects for children. The summit took place between Sept. 9 and Sept. 12 in the nation’s capital.
The mayor posted a photo on the social media site that showed her standing with eight other women in an indoor location. Nobody in the photo was wearing a mask.
Tonight I spoke to students from around the country gathered for the Jack and Jill On the Hill Legislative Summit. It’s the passion of our youth that gives me hope for the future of DC and our nation. Their voices matter, and I will continue to work to give them a #FairShot! pic.twitter.com/u9IiWNxB3I
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) September 10, 2021
“Tonight I spoke to students from around the country gathered for the Jack and Jill On the Hill Legislative Summit,” Bowser said. “It’s the passion of our youth that gives me hope for the future of DC and our nation. Their voices matter, and I will continue to work to give them a #FairShot!” (RELATED: ANALYSIS: New Mask Mandates Could Punch The Dagger Into The Heart Of Small Businesses)
According to D.C.’s mask guidance, everyone – including fully vaccinated people – must wear a mask indoors. D.C. reimplemented its mask mandate July 29.
Bowser was spotted celebrating her birthday without a mask hours before the updated mask requirement went into place. Less than 24 hours after the mandate went into effect, the Washington Examiner posted a photo of Bowser at an indoor wedding without a mask. The wedding, which was reportedly located at The Line DC in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of the city, was attended by hundreds of maskless guests, according to the Examiner.
When encountered by the Washington Examiner, Mayor Bowser confirmed that she officiated the maskless, indoor wedding, but when asked why she was violating her own mask mandate, her security retinue quickly escorted her away. https://t.co/hY0Ji2zqnj pic.twitter.com/xozhIupSin
— Tiana Lowe (@TianaTheFirst) August 1, 2021
The mayor’s office told the Daily Caller News Foundation that Bowser was “in compliance with the mandate” at the wedding and criticized “conservative media outlets” for “reports riddled with disinformation.” They said that the wedding took place outdoors and moved indoors for dinner, and claimed that Bowser did wear a mask indoors.
Bowser’s office did not respond to a request for comment about the speaking event.