Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he hasn’t been to the White House in two months, citing a recent outbreak that infected President Donald Trump, the first lady, and other GOP officials with the CCP virus.
“I do think there have been risky behaviors in other areas, but not in the Senate,” McConnell told Fox News. “And this nomination is now in the Senate. We know how to handle this. We’ve been dealing with this since May, and we’ll handle it successfully.”
Other than Trump, roughly two dozen people in his orbit have tested positive for the virus, including several GOP senators. They include Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), former White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the president of the University of Notre Dame, Rev. John Jenkins, and one unidentified journalist working at the White House.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien, and Director of Oval Office operations Nick Luna also tested positive for COVID-19 since early October.
On Thursday, McConnell said that the best option was to wear a mask and practice social distancing until there is a vaccine.
The White House has not responded to a request for comment.
McConnell also said he often talks to Trump over the phone, adding the president “seems normal” after his diagnosis.
“We talk a lot on the telephone. I think he’s perfectly fine; he seems normal,” McConnell said.
In a post on Twitter last week, Trump called on McConnell to focus on confirming Barrett to the Supreme Court instead of focusing on a pandemic relief bill. But he later said he would support standalone bills for stimulus payments and airline relief.