I can’t remember the last time I saw New Jersey Senator Cory Booker (D) on tv. Or, really, anywhere in the media. You might remember that he was once a media darling in the Democratic presidential race, until he ignominiously dropped out in January. So, it was surprising when he started making the media rounds over the past week or so. Now, the thing is, he wasn’t on “Meet the Press,” or even “Fox News Sunday.” No, he’s on with late night talk show hosts — who weren’t about to ask Spartacus a tough question, or wander outside his talking points.

And Booker stayed on those, for sure. Tuesday night, he was a guest on James Corden’s “The Late Late Show.” And when the host prompted him to talk about Joe Biden, there was this completely unprompted tirade about President Donald Trump:

“[Trump] is putting himself and a lot of other people at risk. If you’re going to rallies where there’s a lot of shouting and yelling, and if he’s modelling not wearing a mask, these are dangerous environments we have to be thoughtful about. And follow the dictates of professionals who understand this virus from a medical perspective.”

Is that right, Senator? In your tortured phrasing, do you mean medical experts like… Dr. Deborah Birx?

Deborah Birx told governors on Monday that yelling by protesters could negate wearing a mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Birx also said 70 covid testing sites have been destroyed amid protests, which have resulted in a dip in testing rates.https://t.co/vqGLRvrY06

— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) June 10, 2020

I’m going to guess the answer’s “no.” When Sen. Booker visited with Stephen Colbert’s show last week, Decider reported, he seemed perfectly fine with large crowds:

“I’m emotionally raw,” concluded Booker. But still, he explained that the protests are necessary. “It’s so good to see Americans black and white, the whole rainbow,” he said. “It’s so good to see their anger, it’s so good to see people who for too long have been too comfortable in this country.”

And like all, good Democrat narratives, Booker wasn’t the only one spouting it since the president announced he was going back on tour.

The president’s plan to hold mass rallies in Florida and elsewhere as we experience a resurgence in COVID cases is irresponsible and selfish. https://t.co/G6tdqua70c

— Rep. Val Demings (@RepValDemings) June 11, 2020

Ah, yes, Val Demings. She’s in the veepstakes, you know. But, how can they say things that are completely opposite of reason and medical expertise? They know they can count on the mainstream media to back them up, with juicy headlines like NPR’s “Trump To Restart Political Rallies This Month Despite Coronavirus Pandemic.”

And tweets like this from Dan Rather, that font of credibility:

So. Let's set the stage…
President Trump has chosen as the venue for his first rally in months, Tulsa, Oklahoma, site of a horrific massacre of African Americans. And he has set the date for June 19th, Juneteenth, a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States.

— Dan Rather (@DanRather) June 10, 2020

There are, of course, their medical community allies, too, who haven’t blinked an eye about protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death — but were full-throated in their denouncement of protests about the Wuhan coronavirus shutdowns.

Sure must be nice to be a Democratic politician right about now. You can say whatever you like — whether it’s true or not. And no one’s going to call you out for hypocrisy.

You can watch Booker’s segment on “The Late Late Show” below:

.@CoryBooker discusses why he believes in Joe Biden as a leader. pic.twitter.com/huqcP9IfYg

— The Late Late Show with James Corden (@latelateshow) June 10, 2020