In late July, an Amtrak passenger spotted former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe (D), who is currently campaigning to win back the Governor seat in November, riding on the train without a mask in defiance of federal law.
The story: The Amtrak passenger, who remained anonymous, shared multiple photos of McAuliffe without a mask on the train and in the train station, calling it an “absolute double standard.”
The photographs show McAuliffe as he boards a train, talking on the phone without a mask with a sign behind him that reads: “Amtrak requires everyone to wear a face mask. Face masks must fully cover the mouth and nose and secure under the chin. Face masks must always be worn unless actively eating or drinking.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also issued a mask mandate for public transportation and transportation hubs on January 29, 2021, months before McAuliffe was photographed on the train.
The passenger’s remarks: After recognizing him in line at Penn Station in New York City, the passenger who took the photo said they then noticed McAuliffe “not wearing a mask on the escalator down to the platform.”
“We happened to be in the same train car, and I took the second photo,” the passenger continued. “We took our seats, and I didn’t get up for the rest of the trip, so I can’t speak to what he did or did not do during the trip as far as wearing a mask.”
“I remember thinking I should say something to him, but didn’t want to start some incident or viral issue,” the passenger stated.
“I’m vaccinated, but Amtrak says put a mask on, so I put a mask on,” the passenger went on. “And when I looked around, he kind of highlighted himself because everyone else was wearing a mask.”
The passenger who took the photo also noted their belief that Americans “are tired of being told to do something by our leaders, and they don’t follow it themselves.”
“You have an individual who wants to be a leader of a state here in the United States, and it is an absolute double standard,” the passenger concluded. “You have to lead by example.”
Worth noting: When reached for comment by Fox News, the McAuliffe campaign did not directly address the photographs, instead focusing on Republican contender Glenn Youngkin’s “extensive history” of not following mask guidelines.
“Glenn has an extensive history of not following CDC mask guidelines dating back to the worst periods of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he peddles such dangerous anti-vaxx and anti-mask rhetoric that doctors in Virginia have begged him to stop undermining measures that will prevent the spread of this virus,” said McAuliffe spokesperson Renzo Olivari.
See the photos:
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