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Co-founder of Republican anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project has called Congressman Louie Gohmert “the craziest and dumbest Congressman in the United States,” after confirmation that he tested positive for the coronavirus.
Steve Schmidt co-founded the Republican political action committee that aims to prevent Donald Trump’s reelection, along with George Conway, the husband of President Kellyanne Conway’s adviser.
The 50-year-old man worked on the political campaigns of former US President George W. Bush, former Republican presidential candidate John McCain, and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, before establishing the group.
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Gohmert tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday during a routine test before a trip to Texas with the president was scheduled, amid a significant increase in cases in his home state.
The 66-year-old man, who has publicly opposed the masks and refused to wear face covers while walking through Congress, recently said he would only wear one if he tested positive for coronavirus, according to Newsweek.
On Wednesday, speaking to NBC’s host Joy Reid The ReidOutSchmidt said, “When I say he is the dumbest and craziest congressman in America, I am serious.”
“And he is not competing in an era when there is not much other competition. In the crazy age, right, this is like Ali, Foreman and Frazier, the great big heavyweights who fight each other, ”said Schmidt, referring to some of the best heavyweight boxers in the country.
“So he has a lot of competition in that space, and this is just a person who, when you think of Louie Gohmert, you think of the crazy people in America.”
Throughout the pandemic, there have been a number of people who have felt that wearing a face mask is against their individual liberties, and have refused to abide by executive orders that made them mandatory in many states.
Trump refused to wear a mask until July, and his initial attitude was adopted by some supporters of the President, who feel that by not wearing a mask, they are showing their support for him.
After it was announced that he had contracted the coronavirus, Mr. Gohmert posted a video statement on Twitter, where he said: “The reports of my death are very premature.
“I don’t have any of the symptoms listed as part of Covid-19, but apparently I have the Wuhan virus.”
Trump, along with other Republicans, has repeatedly referred to Covid-19 as “kung flu” or “Wuhan virus,” and both phrases have been criticized for blaming the pandemic on a single country and group of people.
The congressman added that he has worn a face mask more in the past few weeks than in the four months after the pandemic in the United States.
“I can’t help but wonder if by holding a mask and holding it in place, I could have put some of the virus into the mask and inhaled it. I don’t know,” he added.
According to Johns Hopkins University, about 4.4 million people have tested positive for coonaviruses in the US, and the death toll has reached 150,765.
The independent Mr. Gohmert has been contacted for comment.
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