Texas Sen. Ted Cruz Photographed Not Wearing Mask On Flight, Temporarily Removed It To Drink Coffee Spokesperson Says
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee operative perked up Twitter sharing a photo U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz not wearing a mask on a Sunday flight from Houston to Dallas on a plane operated by one of American Airlines' regional partners.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to stop the spread of the highly contagious virus, American Airlines requires all passengers to wear masks during flights.
Sen. Cruz has been an advocate of people wearing mask during the pandemic and has been photographed multiple times wearing one.
The photo shows Sen. Cruz looking at his phone he's holding in his right hand, while holding a cup of coffee in his left hand.
A mask is not visible in the photo.
The tweet by Hosseh Enad said, "Captured today at 10:45am — @TedCruz on a commercial flight, refusing to wear a mask."
A Cruz spokesperson has said that Cruz was drinking coffee and removed his mask to do so when he was photographed.
The spokesperson released the following statement:
"To help promote safety, Senator Cruz wears a mask when traveling, and practices social distancing where possible. Consistent with airline policy, he temporarily removes the mask while eating or drinking. Yesterday during his flight he removed his mask to drink and put it back on afterward. We should all practice common sense measures to slow the spread of the virus."
She also shared a tweet with a photo of Sen. Cruz on another flight the same day and he is wearing a mask.
"Sen. Cruz has repeatedly said since the start of the pandemic we need to follow the science, listen to public health experts, and take common sense steps to slow the spread of COVID19 and reopen our economy. That includes wearing face masks, washing hands, and social distancing where possible," the spokesperson added.
Another photo of Cruz on the first Twitter thread shows him outside the gate also without a mask.
