White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has become the ninth Trump associate present at the Rose Garden Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to test positive for the coronavirus. McEnany, who became defensive on Friday when she was questioned about when she knew that Counselor to the President Hope Hicks had a positive test Wednesday and/or Thursday morning insisted she had no prior knowledge of Hicks' coronavirus status when she briefed the press on Thursday.
McEnany has flouted CDC guidelines on the deadly virus and vehemently supported and defended President Donald Trump's mismanagement of the pandemic.
Now she is being highly criticized for her behavior, including removing her mask when talking to reporters as recently as Sunday, despite having been exposed to several people who are coronavirus positive.
She's also being denounced for her highly-defensive statement insisting she did not know about Hope Hicks's diagnosis yet offering "no apologies to the colleagues and journalists she willfully put at risk."
Here's what journalists and others are saying:
Here’s video of McEnany removing her mask to speak to reporters yesterday (about concealing the timing of the presi… https://t.co/QaDTkTYYzR— southpaw (@southpaw)1601913251.0
McEnany was widely criticized for briefing reporters on Friday without wearing a mask -- hours *after* her boss ann… https://t.co/X4OpJOMtZg— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar)1601911900.0
At 6pm last night, McEnany gaggled with reporters without a mask. https://t.co/y7JDlblNwz— Allie Malloy (@Allie Malloy)1601911803.0
A reminder. Last week when I asked her, Kayleigh said she didn't know of Hope Hicks testing positive when she brief… https://t.co/xLy65RMvao— Brian J. Karem (@Brian J. Karem)1601912189.0
Here is video of Kayleigh McEnany YESTERDAY taking off her mask before talking to a group of journalists TODAY she… https://t.co/FHQc20XB30— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum)1601912993.0
.@PressSec was pulled off Marine One before the Bedminster trip Thursday because she had contact with Hope Hicks. S… https://t.co/Qse5qxaK7w— Jonathan Karl (@Jonathan Karl)1601913237.0
February 25: “This president will always protect American citizens. We will not see diseases like the coronavirus c… https://t.co/MFCv2h8rtB— Brian Tyler Cohen (@Brian Tyler Cohen)1601914116.0
Thread below is spot on. I’d only add that a professional operation would acknowledge mistakes and correct them. Ka… https://t.co/ZkwxzXbz3Q— Sam Stein (@Sam Stein)1601913354.0
Kayleigh McEnany has repeatedly spoken to reporters without a mask on. She has recklessly endangered lives. https://t.co/BKnrD1AWRn— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivia Nuzzi)1601912054.0
