Rep. Louie Gohmert Mocked for Thinking Face Masks Might Have Given Him Coronavirus

Texas Congressman Louis Gohmert is coming under fire for his claim that wearing a face mask caused him to contract COVID-19. Speaking with The American Independent on Wednesday, the already controversial Gohmert asserted his bizarre claim.

"There are an awful lot of people who think it's the great thing to do all the time," Gohmert said. "I can't help but think that if I hadn't been wearing a mask so much in the last 10 days or so, I really wonder if I would have gotten it. But, I know moving the mask around, getting it just right, I'm bound to have put some virus on the mask that I sucked in. That's most likely what happened."

Despite overwhelming evidence and repeated advice from health officials, the issue of wearing a face mask has nonetheless become a hotly-debated issue in the U.S. After months of downplaying their necessity, President Donald Trump has only recently been photographed wearing one. While he defended their use as "patriotic," he's held back on any kind of national mandate. Instead, the decision has largely been left up to state and local governments.

Of course, given the contention over the matter, Gohmert's claims about how his face mask resulted in him contracting coronavirus drew some skeptical responses. Here are just a few.