CLUSTERF*CK

Fifth Staffer in White House Press Shop Tests Positive for COVID-19

As photographer Al Drago, who covered the SCOTUS Rose Garden announcement, revealed he’d also tested positive.

Five staffers in the White House press office have now tested positive for the coronavirus, as yet another attendee of the Rose Garden event for Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination announced he’s contracted COVID-19. At least 36 people who either attended the Rose Garden gathering for Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination or who have had close contact with the Trump administration have tested positive, according to epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding’s count late Tuesday afternoon. That number includes press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and four of her aides, according to The New York Times. Three journalists—including New York Times correspondent Michael Shear and photographer Al Drago—have also tested positive for the coronavirus, as well as an unnamed military aide and presidential valet. The Rose Garden may be a possible superspreader event, as the number of White House-linked cases continues to rise. Across Capitol Hill, 123 Legislative Branch employees and front-line workers have also tested positive throughout the pandemic as the federal government continues to flout coronavirus safety guidelines.