As Abrams Apologizes, Photos Appear to Contradict Her Mask Claims

Photos released on Tuesday by OutKick challenge a narrative put forth by Stacey Abrams that she had remained maskless only when the initial picture was taken during a visit last week to Glennwood Elementary School in Decatur, Georgia.

In the leaked photos, a maskless Abrams can be seen delivering a presentation to an audience of masked children.

Abrams, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, apologized Tuesday in an interview on CNN's ''OutFront'' for not being masked in a picture she shared during her visit to the school, The Hill reported.

Abrams asserted in the interview that she followed safety protocols while visiting the school but had removed her mask when taking the photo.

''I approached the podium with my mask on. I followed the protocols. I told the kids I'm taking my mask off because I'm reading to kids who are listening remotely as well, and we were socially distanced - the kids were socially distanced from me,'' Abrams told host Erin Burnett.

In a now-deleted tweet on Sunday, Abrams had shared a picture of her maskless surrounded by masked elementary school kids as she contributed to Glennwood's annual Black History Month read-in.

After receiving backlash from critics on social media, the gubernatorial candidate issued a statement to her Instagram account the same day, characterizing it as a ''false political attack.''

''It is shameful that our opponents are using a Black History Month reading event for Georgia children as the impetus for a false political attack, and it is pitiful and predictable that our opponents continue to look for opportunities to distract from their failed records when it comes to protecting public health during the pandemic,'' Abrams wrote at the time.

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