Hypocrisy was the word of the day over on CNN’s PrimeTime, where host Chris “Fredo” Cuomo spent a portion of Tuesday’s show ripping Vice President Mike Pence for not wearing a facemask during a visit to the Mayo Clinic. But it has been well documented that Cuomo, who himself was actually infected with the coronavirus, had flouted rules about staying isolated by leaving his house and traveling, which ultimately got his family sick.
Cuomo began by noting the Mayo Clinic had put out a tweet explaining that they had told the VP’s team about the mask policy. “Now, you can delete a tweet, you can't delete reality. Take a look. The VP was the only one who chose not to wear a mask. Why not,” Cuomo declared. He then scoffed at Pence’s explanation that he wanted to “look them in the eye.” In other words, share a human moment by speaking face to face.
“Was the mask cover your eyes,” Cuomo chided, thinking he was witty.
CNN political hack Dr. Sanjay Gupta was then brought on to tag team with Cuomo against the Vice President:
CUOMO: Look, you can make an excuse for anything, but let's bring in Dr. Sanjay Gupta because this is a teachable moment. Of course, if you're supposed to wear a mask, you should wear a mask. That's not the lesson. If you think you have 100 percent confidence because you tested negative once, twice, three times. Sanjay, isn't the reality that we don't know that you're 100 percent not contagious when you test negative? And that that test is only --
GUPTA: Right.
CUOMO: -- as good as the day it's on.
GUPTA: Yeah. Yeah. No question.
The two then meandered into a conversation about how Cuomo’s wife gave him a haircut. It’s worth noting that the haircut she gave him was better than the advice she’s been publically giving people on how to fight the virus. Advice which included quackery such as bathing in Clorox bleach! He has not had Gupta comment publically on those methods.
“It's a hospital in the middle of a pandemic. I mean, the – that is a time when you wear a mask. Right? He's seeing patients over there. There are sick patients. I mean, this is potentially risky,” Gupta chided after he was done marveling at his friend’s hair.
Meanwhile, Gupta and the rest of CNN had kept up the charade that Cuomo toughed out his quarantine in the confines of his luxurious basement. They even staged his “official” release from quarantine with a home video of him climbing the stairs. But in reality, there was an East Hamptons police report filed because Cuomo had publically berated a 65-year-old cyclist who caught him outside.
Ironically, Cuomo predicted blogs like this would get written about his hypocrisy. “And I guarantee you, people will find ways to defend them by attacking me but they won't own the obvious. But that's politics,” he whined before moving on.
This is CNN.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Cuomo PrimeTime
April 28, 2020
9:17:38 p.m. EasternCHIRS CUOMO: In a now-deleted tweet, the Mayo Clinic of Minnesota wrote it had, quote, “informed the Vice President of the masking policy prior to his arrival today.” Now, you can delete a tweet, you can't delete reality. Take a look. The VP was the only one who chose not to wear a mask. Why not? Here's how he explained it.
VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: When the CDC issued guidelines about wearing a mask, it was their recognition that people that may have the coronavirus could prevent the possibility of conveying the virus to someone else by wearing a mask. And since I don't have the coronavirus, I thought it'd be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible health care personnel, and look them in the eye and say thank you.
CUOMO: Was the mask cover your eyes?
Look, you can make an excuse for anything, but let's bring in Dr. Sanjay Gupta because this is a teachable moment. Of course, if you're supposed to wear a mask, you should wear a mask. That's not the lesson. If you think you have 100 percent confidence because you tested negative once, twice, three times. Sanjay, isn't the reality that we don't know that you're 100 percent not contagious when you test negative? And that that test is only --
DR. SANJAY GUPTA: Right.
CUOMO: -- As good as the day it's on.
GUPTA: Yeah. Yeah. No question. By the, Chris, I'd be remiss if I didn't compliment you on the new do. Looks really good.
(…)
[Banter about Cuomo’s haircut, which his wife game him]
(…)
GUPTA: But I think you make a good point -- she did pretty good -- Vice President Pence, I mean, he should have worn a mask today. I mean, there's no question --
CUOMO: Of course.
GUPTA: -- about it.
I mean, first of all, it sets a good example. It's the policy of the hospital, right? I mean, this is the policy of the hospital. A lot of people get tested. I work in a hospital. I get tested. I still wear a mask, second of all. Third of all, it's a hospital in the middle of a pandemic. I mean, the – that is a time when you wear a mask. Right? He's seeing patients over there. There are sick patients. I mean, this is potentially risky.
But the two teaching points, Chris, I think you bring up are really important. Number one, when you get a negative test, that is a point in time. That is a point in time that you are negative. So if he's getting tested periodically, that's great, but you don't really know. You could have another exposure and potentially harbor the virus in your body, have no symptoms as I think everyone knows. Second point, something we don't talk enough about, we talk about the tests. But you know, a lot of these tests, even the ones for the virus, Chris, have a 15 percent false-negative rate.
CUOMO: Right.
GUPTA: So, this is something that’s, I think, going to be an increasingly large issue as we move forward. These tests got to work well if we're going to have confidence to put people in the workforce. 15 percent false-negative rate is a really high rate. I mean, what are you saying then to people? You know, you have an 85 percent chance that this is correct, but maybe you still have the virus, we didn't catch it. That's going to have to be addressed. But also, the Vice President realizes that. So I hope he's negative. I mean, he looks like he doesn't have any symptoms which is great.
CUOMO: God willing.
GUPTA: But those are teachable points.
CUOMO: Yeah, God willing we need our leaders healthy.
Look, I'm not in the gotcha game. Think it's a waste of time. I think people are turned off by it. But all I'm saying is, look, at some point, you got to stop—you got to start being able to take any kind of responsibility for anything that's negative at some point. I mean, this administration has never done a damn thing wrong ever and they just can't own it.
And I guarantee you, people will find ways to defend them by attacking me but they won't own the obvious. But that's politics. Let’s move it to the side.
(…)
