AG Barr Tests Negative for COVID-19

Attorney General William Barr listens during an event in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, on Aug. 4, 2020. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Attorney General William Barr tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday, a Justice Department (DOJ) spokesperson told media outlets.

DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec told CBS News that the attorney general had tested negative hours after President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump announced that they had tested positive for the virus. A department spokesperson also confirmed Barr’s CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus results to NBC News.

The DOJ did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.

Other departmental secretaries such as Department of State Secretary Mike Pompeo, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have also returned a negative result after being tested on Friday. Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Secretary Chad Wolf had tested negative three times in the past seven days and has not been in close contact with the president, according to a statement sent to CBS News.

White House physician Sean Conley confirmed on Oct. 1 that the president and first lady tested positive, adding that “they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence. He added that he and the White House team will maintain a ”vigilant watch” over the pair.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said on Friday that Trump is experiencing mild COVID-19 symptoms but “remains in good spirits.”

The news came after reports that White House aide Hope Hicks tested positive for COVID-19. Hicks had been traveling with the president this week but was wearing a mask.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people wear cloth face coverings in public settings and when around people who they do not live with, in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel also said she had tested positive for the virus and has been at home in Michigan since last Saturday.

Vice President Mike Pence, Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, and White House adviser Ivanka Trump are among those who tested negative Friday. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden also tested negative.

In a statement on Friday, Kupec said the attorney general wishes the president and the first lady a swift recovery.

“Praying for the first family and all those affected by COVID-19,” the statement said.

Jack Phillips and Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.