Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Wednesday shared a 2018 photo of a group of Democratic senators and questioned why they were not wearing masks.
Cornyn retweeted a picture of Democratic Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and Cory Booker (N.J.) huddled together during the September 2018 Senate Judiciary Committee hearings over the nomination of now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
“What’s missing in this photo?” wrote Mary Ann Mendoza, a vocal Trump supporter.
Cornyn simply responded with: “Masks?”
The Republican senator, who also sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is currently conducting day three of a four-day confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
Many social media users quickly pointed out the photograph was taken before the coronavirus pandemic, with some accusing Cornyn of spreading disinformation.
Among those who criticized Cornyn was Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), another member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who wrote that he was looking forward to his colleague “calling out President Trump for not wearing a mask next time.”
Cornyn later responded to another Twitter user who noted the photo was from 2018, writing “Thanks for clarifying.”
Cornyn has not deleted his previous tweet. The Hill has reached out to his office for comment.
Mendoza was slated to speak about Trump’s crackdown on the border and support of law enforcement during the Republican National Convention in August but was pulled from the lineup after posting an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.