A Republican New York City councilmember sparked anger on Twitter Thursday when he brazenly boasted that he would ignore coronavirus safety rules to host a large family gathering at Thanksgiving.
Joe Borelli — who serves Staten Island, a current COVID-19 hotspot — drew ire after he promised to flout a rule introduced Wednesday by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) that limits gatherings in private homes to 10 people.
“I’ll be having more than 10 ppl at my house on Thanksgiving. My address is public record. Some family will come from (gasp!) New Jersey,” Borelli wrote.
“Kids will see their grandparents, cousins will play in the yard, sis in law will bring strawberry rhubarb pie, & a turkey will be overcooked,” he added.
Borelli’s tweet came as the U.S. hit an all-time high for hospitalizations of the virus. Upwards of 240,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19 and it has sickened more than 8 million people nationwide.
Critics called Borelli “highly irresponsible” and a “selfish monster.”
“Honestly, don’t know what to say,” responded MSNBC’s Chris Hayes. “We’re all human beings with people we love that we want to see. But increasingly the entire Republican Party has basically taken the side of the virus and are actively trying to spread it.”
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