US Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls Republican Kevin McCarthy ‘a moron’

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, known to speak her mind, has now called House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy a “moron” when she was asked by a reporter about McCarthy’s criticism of the Capitol physician’s mask mandate in the House, reports CNN. The California Democrat, while getting into her SUV, said “He’s such a moron.”

Taking to Twitter, McCarthy tweeted, “Make no mistake — The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state.”

Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill quickly tweeted that they have not verified the audio of Speaker’s comment yet.

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On Tuesday, the Capitol attending physician sent a memo asking both vaccinated and unvaccinated lawmakers, staff and other visitors to wear masks indoors. 

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Some Republicans, who are aligned with former President Donald Trump, have criticised the House speaker and blamed her for the new guidelines. They have refused to wear masks on the floor. 

According to the House rules, members found without a mask will be imposed a $500 fine. The new House rule came after US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended all vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans to wear mask indoors due to surge in COVID cases.

A CNN witness said that GOP Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado was offered a mask that she threw back at a floor staffer. Representative Chip Roy of Texas called the House mask rules “patently absurd.”

Many US cities, including New York, California, and Los Angeles, have asked health workers and public workers to get vaccinated or get tested for COVID-19 once a week.

In US, more than 4.13 million kids have been infected with COVID-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic. The US is still the worst-affected country by the deadly virus with more than 34.5 million cases and 611,007 deaths.