AUSTIN Mayor Steve Adler has come under fire after urging residents to stay home – while he himself was vacationing in Mexico.
The Democratic mayor is the latest in a running list of officials who have been criticized as people say they break their own coronavirus guidance.
“Our numbers are increasing and everybody has to be aware of that and we need to, you know, stay home if you can,” Adler said in the video, posted to Facebook on November 9.
“Do everything you can to try to keep the numbers down. This is not the time to relax,” he urged.
Adler has since come under fire, as it was revealed he was in Mexico for a wedding when he urged Texas residents to stay home in the video.
The mayor confirmed to ABC affiliate KVUE that he had flown with eight others on a private jet from Austin to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
He had hosted a wedding and reception in Texas with 20 guests just two days before the video – while the state was under Stage 3 guidelines, the outlet reported.
Under Stage 3 guidance, Texas residents are urged to cap meetings at a max of 10 guests.
Adler said he did not violate his own urgings or orders from Texas Gov Greg Abbott.
He added that guests took Covid-19 rapid tests, the event was held outside with social distancing, and that he consulted with top Austin health authority Dr. Mark Escott.
He admitted to KVUE that all guests were “probably not” wearing masks during the entire event.
Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz shared a video from CNN of Democratic officials who were caught flouting their own Covid guidelines as he called out Adler.
“Hypocrites. Complete and utter hypocrites,” Cruz tweeted.
“And don’t forget @MayorAdler who took a private jet with eight people to Cabo and WHILE IN CABO recorded a video telling Austinites to ‘stay home if you can…this is not the time to relax.'”
One user wrote: “Do as I say, not as I do…is a credibility killer every time.”
“Nice… typical elitist… mayor #SteveAdler vacations in Mexico while telling everyone else to stay home!” another user tweeted.
Another user said they are “profoundly disappointed” with Adler’s actions.
One person dubbed Adler a “bad mayor” as they said “he should be put in jail for not following his own rules.”
“Poor leadership, poor example, poor responsibility, and an empty “apology” that worked as hard as possible to defuse blame while including a token ‘sorry’,” the user added.
Adler issued a statement on Wednesday, apologizing for the trip and saying he “regrets” the decision, the Associated Press reported.
“While I violated no orders or guidelines, I regret this travel,” Adler said.
“I wouldn’t travel now, didn’t over Thanksgiving and won’t over Christmas. But my fear is that this travel, even having happened during a safer period, could be used by some as justification for risky behavior.
“In hindsight, it set a bad example, for which I apologize,” he added.
Adler told KVUE: “There was no recommendation for people not to travel during that period of time.”
He added that people “could not say is that I traveled at a time when I was telling other people not to travel.”
Criticism of Adler’s actions come after other Democrats – including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – came under fire for flouting their own Covid guidance.
