Sen. Lindsey Graham said he doesn’t need to take a coronavirus test because he has a doctor’s note saying so.
“You can’t not show up at work because you want everybody tested whether they need to or not,” the South Carolina Republican told local WSPA anchor Gordon Dill. “I’ve got a letter from my doctor saying that I am CDC compliant, there’s no reason to test me.”
Graham — who has been in contact with colleagues who have since tested positive for the virus — is the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and will soon preside over hearings to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
“We’re going to run the hearing in a medically compliant way, but I’m not going to live my life differently than you have to live yours,” Graham told Dill. “We are setting the hearing room up based on CDC guidelines, I just got a statement today from the architect of the Capitol who consulted with the House physician, saying that the room is set up in a compliant way.”
Graham is facing a spirited reelection challenge from Democrat Jaime Harrison, who has repeatedly pressed him on his refusal to be tested. A scheduled debate between the two men was called off after Graham refused to take the test.