CNN host brilliantly debunks a Florida Republican on an anti-mask crusade

Florida is among the Sun Belt states currently slammed by a recent surge in COVID-19 infections, inspiring Florida Democrats to argue that the state needs to seriously ramp up its social distancing measures. But Florida State Rep. Anthony Sabatini, a Republican, has filed a lawsuit against parts of the state that have passed laws requiring face masks in public. And when CNN’s Brianna Keilar interviewed Sabatini on Wednesday, she grilled him about the lawsuit and aggressively fact-checked his claims that Florida is “doing fine” during the pandemic.

Sabatini, discussing face mask mandates, told Keilar: “It is unconstitutional…. There’s a difference between wanting to wear a mask and passing a law mandating that people wear masks. And that’s what we’re concerned with: the actual punishment the government wants to assign people who don’t wear a mask. But we do believe it’s unconstitutional, mostly because it violates the Florida Constitution. We have a very robust privacy clause here in the State of Florida in our state constitution.”

When Keilar mentioned seat belt mandates for motorists, Sabatini responded that that mask mandates in response to coronavirus are different because they involve private businesses — not vehicles used on public streets. And when Keilar brought up the recent surge in COVID-19 infections in Florida, Sabatini claimed his state is “doing just fine.”

But the CNN host presented a map that illustrated how badly Florida is being pummeled by new coronavirus infections.

“We are in an extraordinary circumstance,” Keilar told Sabatini. “We are in a pandemic. And Florida is not doing just fine…. Deaths: 4,521. Total cases, 301,000. Hospitalizations increasing: 19,334…. And you say you’re doing fine?..... Sir, you’re the epicenter of a global pandemic, and you can’t even admit that?”

Keilar went on to grill Sabatini about the benefits of mask-wearing. When Keilar asked Sabatini if he wears a mask during grocery shopping, he responded “absolutely not.”

The CNN host told Sabatini: “A new study, a good study, out of Japan shows that indoor transmission is almost 20 times higher than it is outdoors. So, when you go into a grocery store and you’re not wearing a mask, you’re comfortable putting workers who work there and other patrons at risk by not wearing a mask?”

Watch the video below: