Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Sen. Patty Murray demanded answers Tuesday from the Trump administration on the outbreak at the White House and within the president’s inner circle, accusing top officials of acting in an “opaque and secretive” manner.
In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Mr. Schumer and Ms. Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, asked for answers on the administration’s efforts to contact trace after several who attended Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s official Supreme Court nomination event tested positive for the coronavirus.
“As this outbreak continues to grow, it is critical that the public and those who may have been exposed have access to accurate and transparent information,” the two wrote.
“The opaque and secretive handling of information related to these events constitutes an obvious threat to public health and is unacceptable in a free nation whose elected leaders must be transparent with and accountable to the American people,” they continued.
Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat, and Ms. Murray, Washington state Democrat, also want a timeline of the outbreak amongst those in the White House as well as details on the health guidance given to staff members.
On Monday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany became one of the most recent senior presidential staff to test positive, after several days of having tested negative.
Mr. Trump, who tested positive Thursday, spent the weekend battling the virus at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and returned to the White House on Monday evening.
The outbreak prompted concern amongst lawmakers on Capitol Hill, with three Republicans among those testing positive and a handful of others going into quarantine out of caution.
Mr. Schumer is among the members of leadership — of both parties in both chambers — calling for a wide-spread testing regime on Capitol Hill.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.