VP Harris Tested Negative for COVID-19 After Meeting With Texas Democrats: White House

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a meeting on voting rights at the White House in Washington on July 16, 2021. Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative for COVID-19 after meeting with a group of Texas Democrats, the White House said on Monday.

“I think the vice president’s office put out that she was tested and that there was no detection of COVID-19," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington.

That’s not what the statement from the vice president’s office said. The vice president’s spokeswoman, Symone Sanders, told outlets over the weekend that neither Harris nor her staff would quarantine or be tested because they were not in “close contact” with those who had tested positive.

Asked about the apparent discrepancy, the White House referred Politico to Sanders, who said that Harris “is tested regularly as is her staff and that as a part of that regular testing, she was tested this weekend and COVID-19 was not detected.”

“That is not in conflict with the statement we put out Saturday,” Sanders claimed.

The condition of Harris, 56, who went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center over the weekend, had not been disclosed previously. Harris has not been seen in public since Friday.

Five of the Texas House Democrats, who left the state last week to deny giving Republicans quorum to enact voting reform legislation, and who later met with Harris, have tested positive for COVID-19.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, close contact is anybody one was within 6 feet of for a combined total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.

Sanders also noted that Harris and her staff are fully vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Democrats from the Texas state legislature at the American Federation of Teachers in Washington on July 13, 2021. Alex Brandon/AP Photo

Texas Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, one of the five Texas House Democrats who have tested positive for COVID-19, is seen on Capitol Hill with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) (C) in Washington on July 13, 2021. Alex Wong/Getty Images

At least three of the Texas Democrats who contracted COVID-19 were fully vaccinated.

The Texas Democrats traveled to Washington mostly via a chartered plane. They posted a photograph of themselves maskless while on the flight, drawing criticism.

Psaki said the Harris trip to Walter Reed was scheduled weeks ago, describing it as a “routine appointment.” She also said that no additional precautions were taken following the revelation that lawmakers who met with Harris contracted COVID-19, such as making sure Harris and President Joe Biden, 78, were not in the same room. And she declined to join the criticism of the lawmakers for going without masks, in defiance of federal rules.

“I don’t think I’m going to be in a position here to assess what safety precautions they may or may not have taken. Obviously, these individuals were out there trying to elevate the issue of an individual’s right to vote,” Psaki told reporters. “We, of course, hope everybody abides by public health guidelines. That’s what we certainly recommend.”