Rudy Giuliani asked witness to remove Covid mask at Michigan hearing four days before positive test announced

Jessy Jacobs was asked to take her face mask off, but refused

Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday asked a woman testifying at a panel on election fraud to remove her mask, four days before his positive Covid test was confirmed.

The 76-year-old, who has rarely if ever been seen wearing a face mask, spent three hours indoors in Lansing expounding at length about the "stolen" election, and once again failing to provide robust evidence of fraud.

Many of those packed into the Anderson House Office Building, a state government site, were not wearing masks.

Jessy Jacob, a furloughed Detroit worker who was temporarily assigned to the city clerk’s office, was the first witness called by Mr Giuliani.

"I don't want you to do this if you feel uncomfortable, but would you be comfortable taking your mask off, so we can hear you more clearly?" Mr Giuliani asked Ms Jacob.

Looking hesitant, she asked the panel: "Can you hear me?"

When numerous people replied that they could, Ms Jacob kept her mask on.

Mr Giuliani shrugged and said: "OK."  

On Sunday Mr Giuliani was confirmed as having contracted Covid. It was unclear whether he had any symptoms.

The hearing had started shortly after 6pm on 2 December.  

Before and during the hearing, protestors and counter-protestors chanted outside the building where the meeting took place. Crowds, including many people not wearing masks, stood outside and tried to get in for the meeting.  

When it ended shortly after 10:30pm, the testimony did not show any evidence of widespread fraud.

Ms Jacobs repeated claims in her affidavit that was submitted in a lawsuit in which Republican poll challengers unsuccessfully sought to stop the certification of votes in the Democratic stronghold of Wayne County, home to Detroit. 

She said, for example, that she saw other workers coaching voters to cast ballots for Joe Biden and she was instructed not to ask voters for photo ID.

A judge denied the suit, ruling that the interpretation of events by the plaintiffs — who ascribed “sinister, fraudulent motives’ to the city and its election workers — was “incorrect and not credible.”  

Mr Trump’s legal team and his allies have lost repeatedly in courts in Michigan and other states.

Mr Biden won 240,936 votes to Mr Trump’s 12,889.  

Four years ago, Hillary Clinton received 234,871 votes to Mr Trump’s 7,682.