>> Senator Lamar Alexander happens to be one of Trump's fierce allies who has been named
responsible for leading the effort to reopen the country after the pandemic or as we've
been seeing during the pandemic. But now he's self-quarantining because one of his staffers
tested positive for the virus.
So his Chief of Staff spoke to the Hill and here's what we know. David Cleary says, after
discussing this with the Senate's attending physician, Senator Alexander, out of an abundance
of caution, has decided not to return to Washington, DC, and will self-quarantine in Tennessee
for 14 days. Now, Senator Alexander also appears to be somewhat alarmed about the severity
of coronavirus, which is something that I hope he keeps in mind as he leads the effort
to prematurely open the country back up.
He was quoted as saying this, there ought to be enough tests to test 535 members of
Congress who come to one of the nation's coronavirus hotspots before they go back home around the
country, and infect people in their districts. Now, I'm gonna wait and see what the reaction's
gonna be from the Trump administration, because he's clearly pointing to the lack of available
testing.
What I do know is, he's already attempted to kind of back-pedal, and just walk back
his comments, because we know that Trump isn't going to like that kind of statement. So here
he is walking back what he previously said about the lack of testing.
>> Have been calling for expanded testing for members of Congress and in the report
you said you were wearing a mask but that several members were not wearing masks nor
we're some capital police officers do you feel safe in the capital?
>> I think it's safe. Most everyone I see's wearing a mask, maybe some we're not. I know
that senators even when we see each other we stay six feet apart. We're practicing by
and large, the protocols. What I said was, that I thought we ought to accept President
Trump's offer to test members of congress who were here before they go home for the
weekend.
Not so much to protect the members of congress but to protect the people they might infect.
>> Now, I love the way, he just like twisted that to make it seem like, and it's actually
pretty masterful right, just make it seem like Trump is the one who wants expanded testing
for people.
He's the one fighting and pushing for it. So that way he can kind of avoid Trump's wrath,
which we know is coming. >> Yeah, the wrath is coming. But Trump doesn't
really care if you guys get tested, but he does want more people around him tested. So
it's not untrue that he would rather have congressmen and senators tested more.
He's just against testing in general because then you're gonna find out a lot more people
have coronavirus. But he himself of course doesn't want to get it. He doesn't want his
Republican allies to get it, or anyone in the elites. So my God, if he found out his
donors are getting it, then we have a completely different situation in America, but the great
part of the Lamar Alexander story is he's heading up a committee to reopen the country,
and now he has to do it from self quarantine.
And so he's gonna Zoom in to the committee hearings. Look, I'm not going outside. You're
crazy, dog. But the rest of you, let's talk about how you guys should go outside and go
back to work. Go back to work? No, I'm quarantining down in Tennessee in my comfortable home.
I ain't going to Washington DC. I ain't going to work, you're crazy. And then meanwhile,
by the way, at the same hearing the head of the FDA quarantined, will be, I don't know
if it's Zoom or Skype but doing it on video. Head of the CDC quarantined, doing it on video.
Dr Fauci, there's conflicting reports, he might or might not show up in person, he's
doing a quasi-quarantine. So, wow, already, before the hearing's even started. Sounds
so convincing that we should all go back out and start reopening America.
>> It's insane and unfortunately, there are already states that have opened back up.
Texas is one of them. And just over the weekend, there were literally hundreds of people at
a party, a gathering at a park and we don't know why yet, but someone ended up opening
fire and five people were wounded. But what happened to, no don't worry we're reopening
but we're gonna do it responsibly, we're going to implement the distancing guidelines, we're
gonna make sure that we keep people safe No, you're not.
That's not what's happening in Texas. That's not what's happening in Georgia. That's not
what's happening in many of the states that have decided to reopen, and unfortunately,
we are seeing a spike in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in those
states. And the markets react to that if the Trump administration only cares about what
the numbers, are how the economy is impacted by it, well, the markets are reacting negatively
to this uptick in coronavirus cases and states that have prematurely opened.
How do they not see this coming? Like it's amazing to me.
>> Yeah, well, how do they not see a thousand things coming? But you wonder why there was
a shooting in a park in Texas. Well, number one, cuz it's America Number two cuz it is
the taxes, and number three, people aren't being able to shoot someone in a long time,
and the Americans are getting antsy.
So maybe a slight positive star-effect coronavirus is there's been less mass shootings because
people are indoors. But the minute we let them out
in Texas, great, a lot of people are in a park let's start shooting. This country is
crazy in 18 different ways.