Two Texas county judges, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, were caught violating COVID orders after pushing for strict mask mandates and telling Texans not to gather for Thanksgiving.
Days before Thanksgiving, Whitley, a fierce supporter of COVID preventative measures, extended the countywide mask mandate to February 28. Whitley has also asked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for permission to fine citizens for not wearing a mask.
In June, Jenkins helped enact a second countywide mask mandate in Dallas County and he encouraged Abbott to enact a statewide mandate. He has also expressed support of a nationwide mask order.
Despite Whitley’s strict orders, several cars were discovered outside of his home in Hurst, Texas, on Thanksgiving Day, according to the Texas Scorecard. There were no cars parked in front of the judge’s house on Sunday evening.
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“Judge Whitley (aka Twitley) told all of us to only eat at home with our immediate family and to wear masks during Thanksgiving,” wrote True Texas Project CEO Julie McCarty. “Meanwhile he’s got 5 vehicles and an RV at his house!”
This isn’t the first time Whitley has been caught ignoring his own rules. On August 16, Whitley’s daughter posted a photo of him mask-less at her birthday party.
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In October, Judge Jenkins was photographed mask-less at a wedding, unlike most attendees who were following county rules.
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“He’s such a hypocrite,” one citizen wrote on Twitter. “The rules are for us peasants,” added another.
They aren’t the only elected officials in Texas caught hypocritically violating their own rules. In April, Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell was fined $1,000 for violating his own stay-at-home order. In October, Abbott was photographed not practicing social distancing and not wearing a mask at a baseball game at Globe Life Park in Arlington, violating his statewide mask mandate which is still in effect.
“What it shows is that we continue to have an elected class in this country and us serfs,” said 2017 Conservative Leader Award winner Joel Starnes, who advises citizens to practice “peaceful noncompliance” with coronavirus mandates.
The hypocrisy doesn’t end with local officials. Throughout the pandemic, national leaders, mostly Democratic politicians and health officials, have adopted a “rules for me but not for thee” approach to COVID policy. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have all been caught going against their own rules and guidelines.