Kayleigh McEnany: If it’s Okay to Loot, it’s Okay to Celebrate Christmas
White House press secretary slams hypocrites saying it's 'not safe' to see family over holidays
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White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has declared that if it's considered safe to "loot businesses" during the COVID-19 pandemic, then it's okay to celebrate Christmas with family.
President Donald Trump’s spokeswoman defended White House plans to hold numerous receptions and parties over the Christmas holiday season.
She argued that if Democrats and their allies in the media believe it’s safe for rioters to run wild during most of the pandemic, then it’s safe for them to celebrate indoors.
“If you can loot businesses, burn down buildings, engage in protests, you can also go to a Christmas party,” McEnany told reporters at a press briefing.
“You can celebrate the holiday of Christmas and you can do it responsibly,” she added.
The remark appeared to be a dig at violent radical-left "protesters" who have been giving a free pass on coronavirus restrictions while law-abiding citizens are told they can't see their own family members.
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President Trump has frequently called out the violence from Black Lives Matter and Antifa rioters.
Democrats, on the other hand, have attempted to claim the riots have been "mostly peaceful" and refuse to condemn their actions.
WATCH:
The Washington Post reported earlier in the month that the White House plans to hold at least 25 Christmas and Hannukah parties during the holiday season in Washington.
“The People’s House will celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah while providing the safest environment possible,” First Lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, said in an e-mail.
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She said the parties will have “smaller guest lists” and people attending will be required to wear masks.
Social distancing will be encouraged hand sanitizer stations will be set up in areas of the White House used for the celebrations, and buffets will be replaced with plated dishes served from “plexiglass-protected food stations,” among other precautions, she said.
“Attending the parties will be a very personal choice,” she said.
McEnany said that the White House was taking coronavirus safety precautions, making the guest lists for parties smaller and keeping masks and hand sanitizers available for use while encouraging social distancing.
“You can celebrate the holiday of Christmas; you can do it responsibly,” she said.
During the briefing, McEnany criticized Democrat officials across the country for breaking their own draconian coronavirus lockdowns and contrasted it with the position of the White House.
“The president stands with you, your freedom, your ability to decide how to best protect your health,” she said.
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Kayleigh McEnany Full Statement:
Good afternoon, everyone. The United States Constitution matters even during a pandemic. While Democrat politicians seek to impose draconian restrictions against their citizens, this past week the Supreme Court of the United States had their say on New York State’s capacity restrictions, which restricted the number of attendees allowed in places of worship but not other government-deemed essential businesses.
Justice Gorsuch, in the ruling, said this as he rolled back Governor Cuomo’s restrictions on places of worship. He said, quote, “It is time — past time — to make plain that, while the pandemic poses many grave challenges, there is no world in which the Constitution tolerates color-coded executive edicts that reopen liquor stores and bike shops but shutter churches, synagogues, and mosques.”
Behind me, you will see displayed images of Democrat hypocrisy playing on loop. These images depict the following:
They show Governor Gavin Newsom of California dining both mask-less and indoors at the fancy French Laundry restaurant despite severe lockdown restrictions against indoor dining for the very people he governs.
You’ll see Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot celebrating in the non-socially distanced streets of her city.
You will see Speaker Nancy Pelosi indoors at a hair salon in San Francisco when salons in California were only open for outdoor services.
And you will see CNN’s Chris Cuomo staging his emergence from quarantine in a made-for-television moment, coming out of the basement. And this was after Cuomo was spotted breaking his brother, Governor Cuomo’s quarantine rules to go for a bike ride in the Hamptons.
Also notable is San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who followed Governor Newsom’s lead in dining at the French Laundry with a group of eight people.
And, finally, Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl dining outdoors at her favorite Santa Monica restaurant after voting to ban outdoor dining at 31,000 restaurants throughout LA, calling outdoor dining “a most dangerous situation.”
Quite clearly, these Democrats do not follow their own edicts. They act in a way that their own citizens are barred from acting.
Governor Cuomo’s decision to impose restrictions on the size of religious gatherings was rebuked by the highest court in the land. But what was Cuomo’s response? Instead of showing deference to the Constitution, he attacked the legitimacy of the Court. Governor Cuomo said this: “You have a different Court, and I think that was the statement that the court was making. We know who he appointed to the court. We know their ideology.”
Well, in fact, the ideology of those on the Supreme Court who made the decision to support the First Amendment are in favor of freedom, the Constitution that survives even during a pandemic.
This statement from Governor Cuomo strikes at the heart of the issue: Democrats seek control. These images behind me make clear Democrats’ mindset: rules for thee but not for me.
The President stands with you, your freedom, your ability to decide how to best protect your health. We all know how to protect ourselves from COVID-19: wash your hands, socially distance, wear a mask.
But as one federal court put it, “There is no pandemic exception to the Constitution.”
