DC Mayor Bowser gets a pass from corporate media after being photographed maskless at wedding reception

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Media top headlines August 2

In media news today, Chris Cuomo gets ripped for accusing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of holding the U.S. 'hostage' to COVID, critics slam DC Mayor Muriel Bowser for violating her own mask mandate, and ABC's political director calls out the Biden admin's 'confusing' COVID messaging

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser is the latest Democratic politician to live by the "Rules For Thee But Not For Me" mantra with the an assist from liberal news organizations that ignored or downplayed her budding scandal. 

Bowser has largely been given a pass by the mainstream media after she was spotted without a face mask during an indoor wedding reception Saturday night, hours after her indoo mask mandate went into effect.

The Democratic mayor officiated a wedding at The Line DC hotel in the district’s Adams Morgan neighborhood, where she and hundreds of others went maskless, the Washington Examiner reported.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel has largely been given a pass by the mainstream media after she was spotted without a face mask during an indoor wedding reception Saturday night. (Photo: Tiana Lowe/Washington Examiner) (Tiana Lowe/Washington Examiner)

Bowser's office told Fox News that the wedding ceremony was outdoors on a rooftop, and that Bowser "wore a mask indoors in compliance with the mandate" but viral photos suggest otherwise. Bowser was scrutinized on social media but cooperate media didn’t bother to keep citizens abreast of the situation. 

DC MAYOR BOWSER PHOTOGRAPHED MASKLESS AT WEDDING RECEPTION AFTER REINSTATING MASK MANDATE

The New York Times has to date ignored the story, while the Washington Post didn’t cover the potential scandal until Bowser denied it. Her hometown paper published a story headlined, "Mayor Bowser denies breaking newly reimposed mask mandate," that largely focused on her office’s talking points downplaying any wrongdoing. 

CNN ignored the scandal over the weekend before finally addressing it on Monday morning. "New Day" co-host John Berman responded to co-host Brianna Keilar acknowledging the "optics are terrible" by dismissing Bowser’s political gaffe. 

Berman asked, "She wasn’t actually, as far as we know, violating the new rules, correct?"

Keilar said it was a fair point but wondered if she "violated the spirit" of the rule. 

"I get it, if you’re a politician you don’t want a picture that raises questions, that’s bad politics. The question is whether she did anything functionally, policy-wise wrong and I don’t know," Berman said. "I mean, I guess it really depends on if she really was eating or drinking at the time she was photographed not wearing a mask."

PHOTOS APPEAR TO SHOW DC MAYOR CELEBRATING BIRTHDAY MASKLESS HOURS BEFORE MANDATE WENT INTO EFFECT

Keilar then came around, "It seems like it could be during the toast. Right?"

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The story was ignored on MSNBC altogether other than a quick reference about Republicans using COVID protocols as a way to attack Democrats. The brief remarks occurred on "Way Too Early," which airs on MSNBC at 5 a.m. ET.

Just hours before the mandate was set to go into effect, separate photos on social media appeared to show Bowser celebrating her upcoming birthday and posing for photos without a mask alongside comedian Dave Chappelle. However, the Times, Post, CNN and MSNBC skipped that story, too. 

Fox News’ Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.