Days after President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, was hospitalized for COVID-19, a second Trump attorney has tested positive for the viral infection, according to multiple reports.
Three unidentified White House officials told Axios on Tuesday that they’ve been notified that attorney Jenna Ellis tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a White House Christmas party last week.
Ellis declined to confirm the diagnosis to Axios, although an unidentified source also confirmed the situation to CNN.
Axios reported Ellis attended the White House senior staff party in the East Wing on Friday as a guest of Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro. Officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity with Axios expressed outrage over her decision to attend the party without donning a mask to protect against COVID-19.
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On Friday, Ellis posted a photo on Instagram of herself standing maskless at the White House with the caption “Merry Christmas!!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIZibU4gZ7Q/
“People brought their families,” one unidentified official said, according to Axios.
It was not immediately clear when Ellis first tested positive for COVID-19. She was maskless on Wednesday night, when she appeared alongside Giuliani in a 4 1/2-hour legislative hearing in which he pushed Republican lawmakers to ignore the certification of Joe Biden’s Michigan victory and appoint electors for Trump.
>> Related: Rudy Giuliani tests positive for the coronavirus
The president said Monday that Giuliani, who was hospitalized Sunday for COVID-19, was “doing very well” and did not have a fever.
Several White House officials — including Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron — have contracted COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Trump has frequently dismissed the wearing of masks, which health officials broadly recommend to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
>> Related: Ben Carson tests positive for COVID-19
Last month, Trump campaign adviser Corey Lewandowski tested positive for COVID-19, though he did not experience any symptoms of the viral infection. Others to test positive include White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, who took part in an election night celebration at the White House that Lewandowski also attended.
>> Related: Mark Meadows, White House chief of staff, tests positive for coronavirus
The U.S. continues to lead the world in COVID-19 cases, with more than 15 million reported as of Tuesday afternoon, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. More than 284,000 people in the U.S. have died of the viral infection.
Worldwide, more than 67.9 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported since the virus was first detected in December 2019, resulting in over 1.5 million deaths.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
