After acknowledging in March that one lone member of the U.S. Secret Service had contracted the novel coronavirus, Yahoo News now reports that the virus has been much more widespread throughout the agency. According to DHS documents that Yahoo News says they have received a report on, the U.S. Secret Service are currently dealing with 11 active cases, 23 members who have recovered from COVID-19, and 60 staffers currently in self-quarantine.
USA Today says that they were unable to get a breakdown of how many of these Secret Service members are civilian workers and how many are agents. Also not known is what, if any, contact to the White House or government officials any of those infected have had.
The news of potentially dozens more people with close White House contact comes on the heels of Donald Trump telling the press that Katie Miller, Vice President Pence’s press secretary and wife of racist immigration policy architect Stephen Miller, had tested positive for the virus. And this news comes just 24 hours after it was revealed that Trump’s personal valet had tested positive for COVID-19. Trump has also been dragging his Secret Service agents with him from golf green to golf green a number of times from January through March.
The Trump White House has made a habit of practicing terrible pandemic hygiene policy both publicly and privately in recent weeks. The reason for wearing these CDC-recommended face masks and washing our hands, while distancing from one another is to protect everybody.