Covid-19 is wreaking havoc on Republicans.
Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said tonight that she has tested positive for coronavirus, the latest major political figure to say they have Covid-19 after attending a Rose Garden event last Saturday where President Trump announced his Supreme Court pick.
“Tonight I tested positive for COVID-19. My symptoms are mild (light cough) and I’m feeling fine. I have begun a quarantine process in consultation with physicians,” Conway tweeted. “As always, my heart is with everyone affected by this global pandemic.”
Conway is now the sixth person who attended the event last week, where masks and social distancing were rare, known to have subsequently tested positive. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, top Trump aide Hope Hicks, Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and University of Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins are all confirmed to be positive for Covid-19.
In addition, Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday and has been isolated at home in Michigan since last Saturday.
Tillis and Lee both announced today they’ve tested positive for coronavirus, with each Republican senator saying they will quarantine for 10 days.
Both men serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is considering the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett.
The committee postponed a mark-up scheduled for next week in-between Lee’s announcement this morning and Tillis’s tonight.
And Tillis, who is up for re-election in a difficult race, will significantly scale back his campaign events.
Lee and Tillis were at Barrett’s announcement on Saturday at the White House.
Lee met with Barrett on Tuesday, while Tillis met with her on Wednesday.
Barrett tested negative for coronavirus Friday but was previously diagnosed with the virus over the summer.
Both men spoke with reporters this week and went about regular Senate business.
Lee said he began experiencing symptoms similar to allergies on Thursday, but sought medical advice and was tested for the virus.
He found out he was positive on Thursday.
Tillis said he is experiencing no symptoms, but his diagnosis will have a significant effect on his race against Democrat Cal Cunningham.
His campaign manager Luke Blanchard said staffers exposed to the senator “will now quarantine and will receive tests in the coming days. Our Charlotte campaign headquarters is now closed and we are halting all in-person campaign events until further notice.”
Tillis debated Cunningham on Thursday, and Blanchard said they notified Cunningham of the positive diagnosis.
Cunningham said he will get tested after debating Tillis.
He said he wished his opponent “a quick recovery following his positive COVID-19 test, and am thinking of him and his family.”
Trump is at Walter Reed hospital for “the next few days.”
Age and obesity put Trump at high risk for severe coronavirus infection, as infections have gone up in 25 states the past few days.
Trump’s aides aren’t answering basic questions about “who knew what when” about his coronavirus diagnosis — and a lot of those questions are coming from staffers.
Some current and former White House officials have been privately complaining about the reckless attitude internally toward social distancing and mask wearing, feeling they are being put at risk unnecessarily every day when they show up to work.
The Kremlin press office said Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram wishing the Trumps well, saying: “I am confident that your vital energy, high spirits, and optimism will help you cope with the dangerous virus.”