Over the past two months, over a dozen Democratic elected officials serving at the local, state, and federal levels have been called out for publicly and privately flouting both official restrictions and general best public-health practices for stopping the spread of the coronavirus.
With COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths surging nationwide, Democrats have been criticizing President Donald Trump and other Republicans for continuing to hold indoor gatherings, such as the 20 holiday parties the White House has planned and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's plans to hold a series of State Department parties that a combined 900 guests have been invited to.
But as the monthslong battle with the pandemic has dragged on into the fall and winter, many Democratic politicians have also been accused of falling short in adhering to official guidelines, like avoiding big indoor gatherings and holiday travel, that they urge their constituents to follow.
Few Democratic politicians have attended anything comparable to the now-infamous late September nomination ceremony for Justice Amy Coney Barrett at the White House that became a coronavirus superspreader. But many have contradicted their own guidance or even official rules they issued aimed at preventing the transmission of COVID-19.
Liberal and conservative critics alike have expressed a mix of confusion, disappointment, and anger over what they see as blatant hypocrisy from politicians acting as if they're above the rules - and endangering public health in the process.
"These hypocrites have to know their behavior undermines their credibility and helps spread the virus they say they want to fight. The only possible conclusion is that they just don't care," New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz, who has kept a running tally of politicians defying COVID-19 restrictions and guidance on Twitter, wrote in a recent column.
"The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah also tore into Democrats not practicing what they preach in his December 3 show.
"Like, I'm sorry man, everyone has given up their lives and you've got these politicians who are just hypocrites out here. What - do you guys think corona respects your office too much to come after you?" Noah said. "In fact, in a way, these Democrats are even worse than the anti-maskers because of their hypocrisy. At least when those dudes break the rules, they're open about it."
As of Friday, the US continues to grapple with the worst coronavirus outbreak in the world, with more than 14.2 million COVID-19 cases and nearly 278,00 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.