Congressman McCarthy criticized for attending maskless wedding in Cayucos
Kevin McCarthy. Image from Facebook.
–US House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) came under criticism this week for attending his son’s maskless wedding in Cayucos.
The Los Angeles Times reports that on the morning of Dec. 5, the congressman mockingly alluded on social media to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s attendance at a party at the French Laundry that was a widely criticized maskless gathering. But hours later, McCarthy attended his own maskless event at the Cass House in Cayucos.
The event appeared to flout state COVID-19 guidelines that prohibit wedding receptions and require that masks be worn during ceremonies, the LA Times reports. The state had just announced a new strict Regional Stay at Home Order for Southern California, including San Luis Obispo County.
Video of the wedding was posted online.
McCarthy responded to the criticism on Thursday, saying those in attendance were only “parents, grandparents, and sisters. No uncles, no aunts, no cousins, and no friends.” He also called out the LA Times for its “sleuthing micro-weddings” of less than 20 people, when the newspaper itself promoted the concept in November.
McCarthy represented Paso Robles in the US House of Representatives prior to redistricting in 2013.
Kevin McCarthy’s full response
Dec. 5th, 2020 was originally going to be a day our son married the love of his life before 300 or so family and friends. And, as anyone who has been through the trimming of the list knows, it was hard to get to that number.
Unfortunately, the pandemic caused the day to be shared only with parents, grandparents, and sisters. No uncles, no aunts, no cousins, and no friends. Making the decision to go forward with only this small group of family was a decision made by the bride and groom. They love their grandparents and wanted them above all others to be there to witness their ceremony.
We are thankful for the venue and everyone who helped make this special day happen safely.
As a proud father and father-in-law, I wanted to share their special day with everyone who was not there. As soon as the wedding video was done, I did just that. I even thought it might be a nice respite to the typically toxic content that floods our social media.
The LA Times decided sleuthing micro-weddings (commonly 20 or less invited guests and promoted by the LA Times themselves in November – what an irony) of private citizens was an opportunity to try to disparage a Republican. This gets pretty close to the bottom of the barrel for most “news” organizations. But then again, the LA Times thinks shoveling your neighbor’s driveway is a forbidden activity.
As everyone knows, navigating our lives during this time is challenging. Events that were tedious to plan to begin with, have become even more so. But I’ve always fought for people — not the government — to make the decisions that are right for them and their loved ones. Taking personal measures to protect yourself and your family are far more effective than any government mandate.
The arbitrary lockdown orders have been devastating to families, small businesses, and communities. What’s worse is that Democrat politicians promulgating or advocating for lockdown policies have often ignored these very mandates they are imposing on everyone else.
For months, I have joined my constituents in calling to end the dangerous and arbitrary lockdown orders from Sacramento. It was fortunate their wedding was on December 5th, one day before the state’s most recent aggressive lockdown was set to begin with no rules coming forward.
After returning to Bakersfield from Washington I worked in the district and then drove to San Luis Obispo. All expenses related to the wedding were paid for personally, and not by any campaign committees.
We took every precaution to ensure a safe celebration — starting with just 13 family members. We spent the majority of the time outside with the dinner following the ceremony in an almost completely open area. We wore masks indoors that day, except in those instances where some had to let makeup dry or when we were eating. We were respectful of the event staff and each other – on the day of the event and the lead-up as well.
Did our families get close to one another? Of course. Did we feel safe? Of course. Would I celebrate this beautiful day on December 5, 2020 again. You better believe it.
The wedding of our first child is something Judy and I have only been able to dream about for years, and I am blessed that my son found the love of his life and we celebrated the day safely together.
This isn’t the first time the LA Times has targeted my family and it likely won’t be the last. But I won’t let the LA Times intimidate me, my family, or any Californian who works hard and lives their life as they think is best. Unfortunately, the media we are supposed to trust continue to discredit themselves by obsessing over things like this. And, I might add, they usually obsess based on your party registration.
