Date: 2024-12-21 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00019858 | |||||||||
The Trump Saga | |||||||||
Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess | |||||||||
More than 130 Secret Service officers are said to be infected with coronavirus or quarantining in wake of Trump’s campaign travel
Video shows maskless Trump, multiple Secret Service agents in large crowd Secret Service agents stepped in as a maskless President Trump approached a crowd of supporters while leaving an Oct. 24 campaign event in Lumberton, N.C. (The Washington Post) Add to list More than 130 Secret Service officers who help protect the White House and the president when he travels have recently been ordered to isolate or quarantine because they tested positive for the coronavirus or had close contact with infected co-workers, according to three people familiar with agency staffing. The spread of the coronavirus — which has sidelined roughly 10 percent of the agency’s core security team — is believed to be partly linked to campaign rallies that President Trump held in the weeks before the Nov. 3 election, according to the people who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the situation. In all, roughly 300 Secret Service officers and agents have had to isolate or quarantine since March because they were infected or exposed to infected colleagues, according to two people with knowledge of the figures. The latest outbreak comes as coronavirus cases have been rapidly rising across the nation, with more than 177,000 new cases reported Friday. The virus is having a dramatic impact on the Secret Service’s presidential security unit at the same time that growing numbers of prominent Trump campaign allies and White House officials have fallen ill in the wake of campaign events, where many attendees did not wear masks. Among those who are infected are White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and outside political advisers Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie. In addition, at least eight staffers at the Republican National Committee, including Chief of Staff Richard Walters, have the virus, according to officials at the organization. Some of those infected are in field offices across the country, including Pennsylvania, where some believe they were exposed in large staff gatherings, an official said. As Trump stews over election, he mostly ignores the public duties of the presidency White House spokesman Judd Deere said the administration takes “every case seriously.” He referred questions about the Secret Service outbreak to agency officials. A spokeswoman for the Secret Service declined to comment on the number of officers who have been forced to isolate or quarantine. In a statement, the Secret Service said that “the health and safety of our workforce is paramount.” “We continuously assess the requirements necessary to operate during the pandemic and ensure we remain prepared and fully staffed to carry out our critical integrated protective and investigative missions, neither of which has been degraded by the pandemic,” the agency said. Trump went on a travel blitz in the final stretch of the campaign, making five campaign stops on each of the last two days. On Nov. 2, Trump’s campaign schedule required five separate groups of Secret Service officers — each numbering 20 to several dozen — to travel to Fayetteville, N.C.; Scranton, Pa.; Traverse City and Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Kenosha, Wis., to screen spectators and secure the perimeter around the president’s events. President-elect Joe Biden made two campaign stops that day that also required Secret Service protection, but in smaller numbers. The agency is also examining whether some portion of the current infections are not travel-related, one government official said, but instead trace back to the site where many Secret Service officers report for duty each day: the White House. White House staff members largely eschew wearing masks, despite public health guidelines that they help contain the spread of the virus, and some Secret Service officers on duty at the complex also have been seen without them. Trump has frowned on mask-wearing at the White House, and some Secret Service personnel have privately complained to colleagues that they were instructed by presidential detail agents and White House staff not to wear masks in his presence, according to two people who heard the complaints. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows greets supporters at a rally for Trump’s reelection at Michigan Sports Stars Park in Washington, Mich., on Nov. 1. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) The Secret Service employs roughly 1,300 officers in its Uniformed Division to guard the White House and the vice president’s residence. The officers are also the backbone of security for presidential trips out of town and other official events. Officers are distinct from agents, most of whom work in plainclothes and provide close security of the president, his family members and other senior officials. Earlier this week, agency supervisors told other staff about the large number of officers who have contracted the virus and said there has been expanded testing to help limit the spread, according to the people familiar with the situation. The number of officers who have been pulled off duty creates a major stress on an already overworked team and will force many officers to forgo days off and work longer hours to compensate for absent co-workers. A 2015 blue-ribbon panel identified overworked Secret Service officers as one key factor that contributed to security breaches at the White House. “Being down more than 100 officers is very problematic,” said one former senior Secret Service supervisor. “That does not bode well for White House security.” It’s not the first time the Secret Service has been hit hard by the decisions of Trump and Vice President Pence to travel during the pandemic. This summer, dozens of agents fell ill or were sidelined and forced to quarantine in the wake of the president’s massive indoor stadium rally in Tulsa in June and the vice president’s subsequent trip to Arizona. At the time, Secret Service spokesman Catherine Milhoan said in a statement to The Washington Post that the agency “continues to methodically assess the unique requirements necessary to operate in the ongoing pandemic environment.” But many of Trump’s own choices put his protection team at heightened risk, specifically his choice to travel out of state and hold large public events. Secret Service agents and medical professionals were shocked early last month when Trump — then being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for the coronavirus — insisted on taking a ride outside the hospital to wave to supporters from inside a government sport-utility vehicle. He wore a cloth mask, but many feared he was unnecessarily endangering the Secret Service agents inside the vehicle. A Secret Service agent keeps watch as President Trump departs the White House on Election Day. (Tom Brenner/Reuters) Deere defended the outing at the time, telling reporters that “appropriate precautions were taken in the execution of this movement to protect the president and all those supporting it.” He said precautions included personal protective equipment, without elaborating, and said the trip “was cleared by the medical team as safe to do.” Fauci says White House had superspreader event as Trump to resume public events While many people in Trump’s orbit have contracted the virus this year, the most recent outbreak at the White House has been particularly extensive. Many of those who are now sick attended a campaign party last week in the East Room, or were exposed to someone who did. Meadows was among those in the East Room of the White House when Trump gave remarks around 3 a.m. Wednesday to a crowd of about 150 of his top aides, donors and allies, as well as family members. During that event, Meadows worked the room extensively, without a mask, speaking to dozens. More than a dozen White House aides have tested positive for the virus in the past week, including a range of low-level assistants and secretaries, officials said. Offices that have been affected include political affairs, legislative affairs and communications. Meadows’s positive diagnosis was revealed last week, along with the fact that he had urged staffers not to disclose it. The chief of staff is not expected to return to the office until next week, a person close to him said. People present at the campaign party in the East Room who were around Meadows, Lewandowski and other now-sick staffers say they have not been contacted by the White House. Several staffers said they were nervous about going to work because there has been such an outbreak. “I’m trying to work from home,” one senior administration official said Wednesday afternoon. “It’s not really safe to be in there right now.” Several aides said they were frustrated by a lack of transparency from their superiors, particularly Meadows, and that they did not notify more people of diagnoses. Julie Tate contributed to this report. Updated November 13, 2020 Coronavirus: What you need to read The Washington Post is providing some coronavirus coverage free, including: The latest: Live updates on coronavirus Coronavirus maps: Cases and deaths in the U.S. | Cases and deaths worldwide What you need to know: Vaccine tracker | Coronavirus etiquette | Hand sanitizer recall | Your life at home | Personal finance guide | Make your own fabric mask | Follow all of our coronavirus coverage and sign up for our free newsletter. How to help: Your community | Seniors | Restaurants | Keep at-risk people in mind Have you tested positive for covid-19? Share your experience. 5.4k Comments Carol D. Leonnig Carol Leonnig is an investigative reporter at The Washington Post, where she has worked since 2000. She won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for her work on security failures and misconduct inside the Secret Service.Follow Josh Dawsey Josh Dawsey is a White House reporter for The Washington Post. He joined the paper in 2017. He previously covered the White House for Politico, and New York City Hall and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for the Wall Street Journal.Follow More from The Post Trump’s attempts to challenge the election results suffer further setbacks Minneapolis violence surges as police officers leave department in droves Opinion Trump’s racist appeals powered a White evangelical tsunami Analysis It goes from bad to worse for the Trump legal team Alito homes in on gay marriage, gun rights, religious liberty in stern speech to conservatives The Trailer newsletter News and insight on political campaigns around the country, from David Weigel. 435 districts. 50 states. Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy PAID PROMOTED STORIES Pennsylvania Launches New Policy for Cars Used Less Than 50 Miles per Day My Insurance Savings Read This Before You Renew Amazon Prime Again Read This Before You Renew Amazon Prime Again Capital One Shopping Seniors On Medicare Are In For A Big Surprise This November Seniors On Medicare Are In For A Big Surprise This November Quick Medigap Recommended by Most ReadPolitics 1 In Trump’s final days, a 30-year-old aide purges officials seen as insufficiently loyal 2 Trump’s attempts to challenge the election results suffer further setbacks 3 Analysis It goes from bad to worse for the Trump legal team 4 More than 130 Secret Service officers are said to be infected with coronavirus or quarantining in wake of Trump’s campaign travel 5 Alito homes in on gay marriage, gun rights, religious liberty in stern speech to conservatives Carol D. Leonnig Carol Leonnig is an investigative reporter at The Washington Post, where she has worked since 2000. She won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for her work on security failures and misconduct inside the Secret Service.Follow Josh Dawsey Josh Dawsey is a White House reporter for The Washington Post. He joined the paper in 2017. He previously covered the White House for Politico, and New York City Hall and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for the Wall Street Journal.Follow |