UPDATE BUSTED
Pence staff threatens action against reporter who tweeted about visit to clinic without surgical mask.
Steve Herman, who covers the White House for Voice of America, suggested that there was more to the story after Karen Pence’s interview.
“All of us who traveled with [Pence] were notified by the office of @VP the day before the trip that wearing of masks was required by the @MayoClinic and to prepare accordingly,” tweeted Herman, who covered the trip as part of his rotation as one of the pool reporters, who share information with other reporters in limited-space situations.
also, everyone in the entire Mayo Clinic had a mask on, everyone, and we were all told the day before we had to wear a mask if we entered the clinic
Herman said he was notified by the White House Correspondents’ Association that Pence’s office had banned him from further travel on Air Force Two, although a spokesperson in Pence’s office later told VOA managers than any punishment was still under discussion, pending an apology from Herman or VOA.
Mother to the Rescue
Second lady Karen Pence said her husband Vice President Mike Pence did not know about the Mayo Clinic’s mask policy until after his visit to the medical center on Tuesday when he appeared to violate the clinic’s rules by not wearing a face covering.
“Wearing a mask prevents you from spreading the disease, and knowing that he doesn’t have COVID-19, he didn’t wear one. It was actually after he left Mayo Clinic that he found out they had a policy of asking everyone to wear a mask,” Karen Pence said during a Fox and Friends interview.
