In October, Donald Trump insisted on gathering hundreds of people at the White House for the announcement of justice-to-be Amy Coney Barrett. This was coming at a time when Trump himself was still recovering from COVID-19, other staff had tested positive, and the nation was starting into a fall surge, so many voices warned it could become a superspreader event. And then … it became a superspreader event that not only sent Chris Christie and other Republican visitors to the ICU, but ended up taking down over 100 Secret Service agents.
Now, with the pandemic much worse than it was in October, with hospitals overwhelmed, and both more White House staffers and the leader of Trump’s super legal team testing positive for COVID-19, there is nothing to do but … have an even bigger party! Last week White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany announced: “If you can loot businesses, burn down buildings, engage in a protest, you can also go to a Christmas party.” Which makes exactly as much sense as everything else Kayleigh McEnany has ever said. Party on, Kayleigh. On Friday the White House actually had one of these parties, with hundreds of attendees, people bringing in their families, and plenty of maskless faces. And with the predictability of a rock falling onto a very soft head, the whole White House is now running scared—because one of those partygoers was positive for COVID-19.
As Axios reports, Trump's lawyer Jenna Ellis—the member of the super team notable mostly because she manages to be just as racist and unreasonable as the others without mentioning Hugo Chavez or having streams of hair dye running down her face—has let her associates know that she tested positive for COVID-19. And of course, Ellis was at the party.
The news of Ellis’ test appeared on Monday following Trump tweeting an admission that Giuliani had tested positive on Sunday. However, it’s not clear when either Giuliani or Ellis was actually infected, or whether Ellis was contagious when she partied down with the senior White House crew on Friday night.
The idea that a lot of people—including family members and those pressed into service to cater and clean up this event—might get sick from the continued reckless activities in the Trump White House is not funny. But this is:
"She had the nerve to show up at the senior staff Christmas party knowing everyone was furious with her for constantly stirring Trump up with nonsense," said a senior administration official.
Seriously, “senior administration official,” have you ever heard the metaphor about the pot and the kettle?