GOP Sen. Lee, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, appears in-person
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who tested positive for coronavirus after Judge Barrett’s Rose Garden nomination event on Sept. 26, appeared in-person and delivered his opening statement without a mask, despite heightened COVID-19 fears on Capitol Hill.
He used his time to criticize the “politicization” of Judge Barrett’s nomination and reminded colleagues that Barrett is a judge, not a policymaker, and should be asked questions accordingly.
“These tactics of creating fear and uncertainty and doubt, these tactics that result in relentless protests outside of the one branch of government that isn't political astound me, dismay me and disappoint me. They reflect the fact that we have allowed for the politicization of the one branch of the federal government that is not political,” Lee said.
“We ourselves within the legislative branch have got to do a better job by focusing on the fact that the Constitution is not just a judicial thing. It's also a legislative thing. It is also an executive thing. It is an American thing. It's one of the many reasons why I will object to anyone, anytime anyone tries to attribute to you a policy position and hold you to that,” he concluded.
Lee’s presence would appear to violate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention isolation guidelines as he tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 2, just 10 days ago.
"Good news," said Graham, leading the hearing. "Senator Lee's enthusiasm for the dormant Commerce Clause convinces me you have made a full recovery."
![PHOTO: Senator Mike Lee, who recently tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), speaks during the confirmation hearing for Judge Amy Coney Barrett to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court on Capitol Hill, Oct. 12, 2020, in Washington, D.C.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/lee-speaks-barrett-rt-ps-201012_1602513887943_hpEmbed_13x9_992.jpg)