Republican Congressman suing Nancy Pelosi over mask mandates has tested positive for Covid

South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman, who sued Nancy Pelosi for mask rules on the Senate floor just last week, has contracted a breakthrough case of Covid.

The South Carolina representative, who is suing the Speaker with Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Kentucky’s Thomas Massie, was fined $500 for repeatedly refusing to wear a mask during a vote in May. Norman and his mask-resistant colleagues believed this was “unconstitutional,” filing appeals in June — which were rejected in July — leading to their suing as a trio last week.

“The masking requirement was an attempt to prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, medicine, and science, despite a deep divide over these issues of opinion,” the representatives’ lawyers wrote, claiming that masks were mandated “in televised areas only.”

“It has been used to force plaintiffs and other members of the minority party to be instruments for fostering public adherence to this ideological point of view that plaintiffs find unacceptable,” they continued.

Norman has continually advocated against mask mandates, saying that doing so is a combination of “virtue signalling” and “unjustified fear. He has now tested positive for Covid-19.

“After experiencing minor symptoms this morning, I sought a Covid-19 test and was just informed the test results were positive. Thankfully, I have been fully vaccinated and my symptoms remain mild,” he wrote. “To every extent possible, I will continue my work virtually while in quarantine for the next ten (10) days.”

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham also tested positive for Covid-19 this week, and has since reached out to Norman on Twitter with support.

Graham is also encouraging his followers to get vaccinated.