Rep. Gwen Moore says she tested positive 11 days before speaker vote

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Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., denied breaking her mandated self-quarantine after a positive COVID-19 test to vote on the House floor Sunday, saying in a statement Tuesday that she had tested positive five days before announcing it on Dec. 28.

Moore, who showed up to vote for Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for Speaker on Sunday, said she was diagnosed with the virus on Dec. 23. She released a statement on her diagnosis on Dec. 28, six days before the Speaker’s vote.

"I would like to reassure all of my colleagues, constituents, and the people who work within the Capitol complex that I have complied with all doctor and CDC guidelines following my COVID-19 diagnosis and isolation," she wrote in a Tuesday statement.

She did not say if she had tested negative before attending the vote. "While I quarantined immediately upon exposure on December 22nd and tested positive the next day, I have been diligent in working with doctors to put my health and public health first."

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Pelosi was narrowly re-elected as Speaker on Sunday, Jan. 3 with 216 votes, only two more than the majority she needed. Five Democratic House lawmakers did not vote for her speakership. 

The CDC recommends staying home for 14 days after exposure to coronavirus and to isolate for 10 days after the first symptom develops, or 10 days from a positive test if no symptoms develop. Sunday, Jan. 2, would have been the 10th day since Moore’s positive test, though she didn’t say if symptoms had developed.

Meanwhile, three other members of Congress were allowed to vote on Sunday via "special arrangements" because they were still in their quarantine windows despite testing negative for the virus, according to Politico. 

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Republicans were critical of Moore's decision to report for duty in person.

"The coronavirus won’t stop Nancy Pelosi’s quest for power," the Republican National Committee's rapid response director Steve Guest wrote on Twitter.

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"I tested positive for COVID-19," Moore tweeted on Dec. 28. "I am following guidance from my doctor and am isolating from others. I am thankful to be feeling well. And I do not foresee this disrupting my work for Wisconsin’s Fourth."

Fox News' Evie Fordham contributed to this report.