Climate czar John Kerry called it “malarkey” after he was caught maskless reading a book on an American Airlines flight despite a mandate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requiring masks be worn on all public transportation.

The Tennessee Star first published the now-infamous photo of Kerry in First Class with his mask hanging off one ear. The passenger who took the pic wishes to remain anonymous but the photo has been verified.

The former secretary of state was seen wearing his mask while boarding ahead of other passengers. When he got seated, he evidently took off his mask.

“I salute our Very Special Presidential Envoy for Climate for not flying private, but instead flying First Class commercial with the rest of us common folk,” snarked the passenger. “And while he can’t bring himself to follow his own party’s mask restrictions, we should cut him some slack.”

(Video Credit: Sky News Australia)

“Being an elite hypocrite is hard work!” the passenger scoffed. The plane was reportedly full of passengers.

According to Fox News, the passenger said that none of the flight attendants told Kerry to put his mask back on. He did, however, note that later Kerry put the mask back on and wore it for most of the flight.

American Airlines stated that they would be “looking into” the incident. They emphasized that “masks are required” for everyone that flies on one of their planes.

Masks are required on board our aircraft, and we are looking into this.

— americanair (@AmericanAir) March 17, 2021

For Kerry’s part, he arrogantly stated on Twitter that his masklessness was “momentary.”

“Feels like there’s some St. Patrick’s day ‘malarkey’ afoot on Twitter,” Kerry tweeted. “Let’s be clear: If I dropped my mask to one ear on a flight, it was momentary. I wear my mask because it saves lives and stops the spread. It’s what the science tells us to do.”

Feels like there’s some St. Patrick’s day “malarkey” afoot on Twitter. Let’s be clear: If I dropped my mask to one ear on a flight, it was momentary. I wear my mask because it saves lives and stops the spread. It’s what the science tells us to do.

— Special Presidential Envoy John Kerry (@ClimateEnvoy) March 17, 2021

“His mask was off for five minutes,” the passenger replied to Kerry’s statement. “If five minutes is ‘momentarily,’ he’s correct. Not sure being in a plane without a mask for five minutes is excusable.”

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) pointed out that Kerry has a history of “not following” the rules he forces Americans to comply with. “I guess we can say it’s better that John Kerry finally decided to fly commercial as opposed to jetting around in Gulfstreams all around the world when he’s trying to supposedly solve the climate crisis,” Cotton sarcastically stated in an interview with “Fox News @ Night” host Shannon Bream. Cotton also said that leaders should “set a good example if they’re going to impose rules on the American people they should try to follow those rules as well.”

Donald Trump Jr. nailed Kerry for his actions: “SPOTTED: Liberal hypocrite & Biden Admin official @JohnKerry flouting @JoeBiden’s Federal mask mandate. NOTE: His mask is off & he isn’t eating or drinking. Will he be fined for breaking the law & banned from flying @AmericanAir like regular citizens would be? #LiberalPrivilege.”

SPOTTED: Liberal hypocrite & Biden Admin official @JohnKerry flouting @JoeBiden's Federal mask mandate.

NOTE: His mask is off & he isn’t eating or drinking. Will he be fined for breaking the law & banned from flying @AmericanAir like regular citizens would be?#LiberalPrivilege pic.twitter.com/3j7j57jXVI

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 17, 2021

In January, the CDC mandated that all individuals “must wear masks that cover both the mouth and nose” while using public transportation or at a “transportation hub.”

American Airlines told Fox News: “Masks are required onboard our aircraft. Our team works diligently to make sure customers are wearing masks properly as they travel with us, and flight attendants pass through the cabin several times during flight to ensure compliance. The crew did not observe Secretary Kerry without a mask, and they were not alerted by other customers to a non-compliance issue. We continue to review the matter and we are reaching out to Secretary Kerry to underscore that all customers are expected to wear masks for the duration of their trip.”

This is yet another incident with air travel where Kerry has faced criticism. He reportedly owns a private jet which he ironically uses to fly all over the world to address climate change. He even took a private jet to accept an environmental award in Iceland in 2019. Some called that hypocritical.

Kerry justified the Iceland flight: “If you offset your carbon — it’s the only choice for somebody like me who is traveling the world to win this battle.”

Social media roasted the so-called climate czar for his latest arrogance:

We all saw the picture John

— Shelly in Cambridge (@shellyCambridge) March 18, 2021

It’s amazing that people are actually defending this faker.

— Yitzchok (@Yitzy_27) March 18, 2021

So one ear mask wearing is now ok? I was told we needed to double mask. Why is it ok for you to wear it off your face, but I have to wear it fully on all the time?

— JohnFlat (@johnflat) March 18, 2021

You dropped your mask all right.

But it wasn’t helping anyway – we’ve known you’re an habitual liar for a long time

— Ron Coleman (@RonColeman) March 18, 2021