Kevin McCarthy defends his son holding a wedding in California amid surge of COVID-19 cases

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said his son took "every precaution" when he held a wedding ceremony and reception on Dec. 5 in San Luis Obispo County, California.

The Los Angeles Times learned about the wedding this week, after McCarthy posted about it for the first time on social media. The wedding took place amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in California, when residents were being urged not to gather with people outside their homes and to cancel all non-essential gatherings.

San Luis Obispo County was in the purple tier of restrictions, meaning wedding ceremonies had to be held outside and wedding receptions were not allowed. On the same day as the wedding, McCarthy mocked California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for attending an outdoor dinner at the French Laundry restaurant, and after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) got her hair washed in a salon last summer, McCarthy said she "doesn't think the rules apply to her."

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In two videos of the wedding, about a dozen people, including McCarthy, are seen together, not wearing masks. The videos show the wedding guests both inside and outside, the Times reports. McCarthy told the newspaper the original plan was to have 300 guests, but his son and the bride decided to go forward with a small ceremony and reception for their parents, grandparents, and sisters.

A total of 13 people were at the wedding, McCarthy said, and he claimed they spent most of their time outside and primarily wore masks while indoors. He also slammed the state's stay-at-home orders, put in place to keep the coronavirus from spreading. "I've always fought for people — not the government — to make the decisions that are right for them and their loved ones," McCarthy said.

On the night of the wedding, the state announced there would be new stay-at-home orders put in place for Southern California, due to an increase in coronavirus cases and limited intensive care unit beds. Read more at the Los Angeles Times.