EXCLUSIVE – Former Virginia Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who is running to win his seat in November, was seen without a mask on an Amtrak train from New York to Washington, DC, in late July.
Fox News obtained photographs of McAuliffe on a train at New York’s Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station on the night of July 29th. an “absolute double standard.”
The photo shows McAuliffe walking down the aisle of an Amtrak train, in a phone call, without wearing any face cover. McAuliffe is seen standing under the Amtrak sign indicating that face masks are needed. The relatively empty train car shows a passenger in the distance wearing a mask and the passenger behind McAuliffe with a white strap on his ear, indicating that he was also wearing a mask.
Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia, former governor Terry McAuliffe, seen on the maskless Amtrak train.
“Amtrak requires everyone to wear a face mask,” the sign says. “Facial masks should completely cover the mouth and nose and secure under the chin. Facial masks should always be worn unless they are actively eating or drinking.”
The Amtrak website also states: “Federal law requires that all customers and employees wear masks at all times on board trains and stations, regardless of vaccination status or state or local laws. “.
Amtrak requires all passengers to wear covers and face masks throughout the trip, according to the federal mandate.
“Refusing to wear a mask is a violation of federal law; passengers can be penalized by federal law, denied boarding, removed from the train, and banned from future travel in case of non-compliance.” , says Amtrak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order in January requiring all people to wear face masks while on public transportation. This order also required all people to wear masks while in transportation hubs, including airports, bus or ferry terminals, train and subway stations, and other places where people can board public transportation in the United States.
The passenger who shared the photos with Fox News said they were waiting to board the train when they recognized McAuliffe through the station by making a phone call.
McAuliffe seen at New York Penn Station’s Moynihan Train Hall without a face mask. Federal mask warrants require facial coverage on public transportation and at all public transportation hubs, including airports and train stations.
“My brain didn’t move right away, but all of a sudden, I thought, that guy looks familiar,” the passenger said, adding that “they took a picture of him there while we were in line.”
The passenger said a McAuliffe member was waiting in line to board the train while he was taking a phone call in the distance. When it was time to get on the train, the passenger said McAuliffe staff made him cross the line.
The passenger said McAuliffe “did not wear a mask on the escalator to the platform,” and said he continued his phone call.
“We were in the same train car and I took the second picture. We sat down and didn’t get up the rest of the trip, so I can’t talk about what he did or didn’t do” do it during the trip until I brought a mask “.
The passenger added that when the train arrived at Union Station in Washington, DC, McAuliffe was still not wearing a mask. The passenger, however, said they could not get a picture of him.
“I remember thinking I should have told him something, but I didn’t want to start any viral incidents or problems,” the passenger said.
“I’m vaccinated, but Amtrak says I put on a mask, so I put on a mask,” the passenger said. “And when I looked around, it stood out because everyone else was wearing a mask.”
FLASHBACK: NEWSOM EMERGENCY PHOTOS Inside the POSH restaurant AMONG CORONAVIRUS SPIKES
He added: “You have a person who wants to be a state leader here in the United States, and it’s an absolute double standard. You have to lead by example.”
The passenger said Americans “are fed up with our leaders telling them to do something and not following it themselves.”
“Whether you agree with it or not, it’s easy enough to throw on a mask for a while,” the passenger said. “It seems to be a constant, whether you’re a California governor or a member of Congress or someone who’s running for governor of Virginia.”
The passenger was referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, who was seen last year at a maskless hairdresser in San Francisco, even though local ordinances kept salons closed; and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was seen eating inside without a mask last year, despite local COVID-19 guidelines. Newsom faces a withdrawal election on Tuesday as Californians try to oust him for his treatment of the COVID pandemic.
FLASHBACK: PELOSI SHOWS A COUNTERFEED STRAW HALL TO EXPLOIT, THE OWNER CALLS IT “BALAPA A LA CARA”
The passenger added: “There are currently no responsibilities with politicians and they frustrate people.”
McAuliffe’s campaign did not comment on the candidate’s photos, but criticized his Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin, saying he has “an extensive history” of not following CDC mask guides.
“Glenn Youngkin has shown the Virginians that it will be a failure to control this pandemic and rebuild Virginia’s economy,” McAuliffe spokesman Renzo Olivari told Fox News. “Glenn has a long history of not following CDC mask guidelines that go back to the worst periods of the COVID-19 pandemic, and deals with such dangerous rhetoric against vaxx and the mask that Virginia doctors have begged him to stop. to undermine measures to prevent the spread of this virus. ”
Olivari added, “Terry is the only candidate in this race who has a plan to vaccinate Virginians, keep our children in schools and create a better future for all Virginians.”
McAuliffe, in a post published in the Washington Post in August about the defeat of the new coronavirus, wrote that he “will always lead by example” and added that “taking this virus seriously is not a partisan issue, it is a test of leadership.”
McAuliffe has posted several times on Twitter, reminding people to wear masks to protect themselves from COVID-19 and to follow CDC guidelines.
As for Youngkin, he has attended some events without wearing masks or face masks. There is no Virginia law requiring masks, but Virginia currently says individuals should wear a mask in public indoor areas in areas of substantial and elevated COVID-19 transmission.
Virginia Beach is currently a high transmission area.
Virginia follows the federal order for vaccinated and unvaccinated people, saying people “must wear a mask when using public transportation … as well as at inland transportation centers such as airports and stations.”
“Youngkin obeys the law and respects those around him with a mask as long as necessary,” Youngkin’s campaign spokesman Christian Martinez told Fox News.
“Terry McAuliffe said he wants to make life difficult for everyone, but apparently he himself has a hard time taking the pandemic seriously and following federal law,” Martinez said. “Like all other politicians with their mandates, he believes the rules are for the rest.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Martinez added: “McAuliffe loves to play politics with COVID, but failed in his own leadership test when he traveled to a COVID hot spot, proving once again that he is all talking and not acting.”
McAuliffe, 64, won the Democratic primary in Virginia in June. McAuliffe, a former businessman and investor, served as governor from 2014 to 2018. He served as chair of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2008 and as chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005.
McAuliffe faces Youngkin to rule on November 2.