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Rep. Louie Gohmert's daughter rebukes him for not wearing a mask before coronavirus diagnosis

(CNN) The daughter of Rep. Louie Gohmert publicly rebuked her father for not wearing a mask and ignoring medical expertise before he tested positive for coronavirus last week.

"Wearing a mask is a non-partisan issue. The advice of medical experts shouldn't be politicized. My father ignored medical expertise and now he has Covid," said Caroline Gohmert, a musical artist who goes by Caroline Brooks and also uses the stage name BELLSAINT, in a pointed statement on Twitter Friday, two days after her father's diagnosis was made public.

"This has been a heartbreaking battle bc I love my dad and don't want him to die," she continued. "Please please listen to medical experts. It's not worth following a president who has no remorse for leading his followers to an early grave."

CNN has reached out to Gohmert's office for comment.

His daughter's comments -- which her agent, Ryan Vaughn, confirmed to be authentic on Monday -- come after the Texas Republican tested positive for the virus last week, prompting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to announce new rules requiring masks on the House floor and renewing a debate about access to testing for members of Congress and their staff.

Gohmert had been scheduled to fly aboard Air Force One on Wednesday with President Donald Trump to Midland, Texas, but he tested positive for coronavirus during a pre-flight screening at the White House, a person familiar with the situation told CNN.

A senior Republican aide told CNN the test results caused issues on the Hill where "a lot of staffers" were ordered to get tests before they can go to meetings and resume activity.

Gohmert released a video statement on Twitter saying, "The reports of my demise are a great deal premature" and noted he was asymptomatic.

"I don't have any of the symptoms that are listed as part of Covid-19, but apparently I have the Wuhan virus," he said.

Before his diagnosis, Gohmert had told CNN in June that he didn't wear a mask because he had been tested and he didn't yet have the virus. "But if I get it, you'll never see me without a mask," he offered.

Told that health experts say that people who don't have symptoms may be carrying the virus and can unknowingly spread it to others, Gohmert responded: "But I keep being tested and I don't have it. So I'm not afraid of you, but if I get it I'll wear a mask."

CNN's Ashley Killough, Kevin Liptak, Haley Byrd, Manu Raju and Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this report.
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