WASHINGTON — Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican who has declined to wear a mask while walking around the Capitol in recent weeks, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to multiple reports.
He tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday morning ahead of a scheduled trip to Texas alongside President Donald Trump, Politico reported. An unidentified source told The Washington Post that after his diagnosis, he did not join the trip.
On Tuesday, Gohmert attended a House Judiciary Hearing in which U.S. Attorney General William Barr testified. Before the hearing, he was seen walking with Barr while neither of them were wearing masks, according to Politico.
Gohmert has been seen wearing a mask as required during House hearings, according to the Post; however, he has also been seen walking around Capitol Hill without a mask on. Last month, the 66-year-old Republican defended his actions to CNN.
It was not immediately clear whether Gohmert had COVID-19 on Tuesday. Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec told Politico that Barr would be tested for a coronavirus infection on Wednesday.
“I keep being tested and I don’t have it,” he said in an interview published June 26. “So, I’m not afraid of you, but if I get (the coronavirus) I’ll wear a mask.”
Gohmert is the latest lawmaker to be diagnosed with a novel coronavirus infection. Other members of Congress to test positive for COVID-19 include Reps. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., Seth Moulton, D-Mass., Mike Kelly, R-Pa., Tom Rice, R-S.C., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., according to the Post.
As of Tuesday, the last date for which data was available, more than 394,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported across Texas, resulting in 5,877 deaths.
The United States leads the world with the most coronavirus cases and the highest death toll. Since the start of the pandemic, officials have confirmed more than 4.3 million infections and reported more than 149,000 deaths nationwide, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
As of Wednesday, more than 16.7 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide and more than 661,000 people have died of the viral infection, according to Johns Hopkins.