Two senior Nevada Democrats violated the state's indoor mask mandate by attending a costume party on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Photos obtained by the Washington Free Beacon show Sen. Jacky Rosen (D., Nev.) and Rep. Susie Lee (D., Nev.) decked out in boxing gear while attending a benefit gala honoring billionaire Elaine Wynn, ex-wife of casino magnate Steve Wynn. Neither politician was wearing a mask, even though Steve Sisolak, Nevada's Democratic governor, had imposed an indoor mask mandate that went into effect the previous day.
The Democratic lawmakers were wearing personalized boxing robes—Rosen's, for example, reads "Jolting Jacky"—while schmoozing at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, an "urban chic" venue that mandates "all guests ... wear masks while indoors on property."
Federal records show that Elaine Wynn, guest of honor at the maskless soirée, has donated more than $13,000 to Lee since 2015. Wynn has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and committees since 2001.
Lee and Rosen are merely the most recent Democrats busted for defying the indoor mask mandates imposed by their Democratic colleagues. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), for example, ditched her mask while attending Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's indoor wedding in New Mexico.
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D., N.Y.), chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, recently shunned a State Department travel warning by flying to France, where he partied maskless at a billionaire's chateau. Meanwhile, he urged Americans to follow federal guidelines because it was "the right thing to do."
Rosen in particular has a long track record of urging others to wear masks, even as she flaunts her state's restrictions. "Mask up and get vaccinated, Nevada," Rosen wrote on Aug. 10, for example. "Together, we can beat this pandemic."
Lee, on the other hand, has a history of anti-mask behavior and rhetoric, which could endanger thousands of her fellow Nevadans. When Las Vegas fully reopened in June, Lee celebrated. "Swap that mask for your best poker face—Vegas is ready, come visit!" she wrote.
An invitation for the Sept. 11 gala reviewed by the Free Beacon contains no indication that attendees were encouraged to wear costumes, but the Democratic lawmakers were not alone. Neither Lee nor Rosen returned requests for comment on their maskless partying.
