American Airlines has reached out to Senator Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) office after a photo began circulating online of the senator apparently not wearing a mask on one of its flights, according to The Hill.
The airline, which requires that all passengers keep masks on for the entirety of their flight duration, said that “we have reached out to Sen. Cruz to affirm the importance of this policy as part of our commitment to protecting the health and safety of the traveling public.”
The statement came after a radical Democratic campaign operative tweeted a photo allegedly showing Cruz without a mask on. The senator’s office responded with a statement explaining that Cruz had taken his mask off to drink his coffee, which he can be seen holding in the photo.
“Consistent with airline policy,” the senator’s statement read, “he temporarily removed the mask while eating or drinking.” American Airlines confirmed in their own statement that “our policy does not apply while eating or drinking.”