Summary:
2/28: Pence Attended Fundraiser In Sarasota, Florida As Coronavirus Situation In The U.S. Escalated. According to The Washington Post, “Pence, too, continued with a prior commitment Friday evening — a closed-door, high-dollar fundraiser in Sarasota, Fla. — while tacking on a brief coronavirus response meeting with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) at the airport when he landed in the state. And Trump held a long-standing campaign rally Friday in North Charleston, S.C., where he accused Democrats of ‘politicizing’ the coronavirus.” [Washington Post, 2/29/20]
2/26: Pence Attended Trump Rally In Michigan. According to M Live, “Vice President Mike Pence targeted Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg while telling voters to reject “socialist" Democrats running to challenge President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Michigan. Pence laid out Trump’s accomplishments during a roughly 30-minute speech given in front of a “Keep America Great” banner an estimated crowd of 600 people in Troy, the largest city in Oakland County. Pence traveled to Lansing and Troy on his third bus tour through Michigan in the last three months, previously campaigning on Trump’s behalf in Portage, Holland and Saginaw.” [M Live, 2/26/20]
8/18: Pence Spoke At A Campaign Rally In Wisconsin Where Mask Wearing Social Distancing Was Not Encouraged. According to WPR, “Vice President Mike Pence lauded the Trump administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it will spur economic recovery at a campaign rally in southeastern Wisconsin on Wednesday, even as the virus continues to spread across the country. […] Attendees at Pence's event had to pass a temperature check at the door in order to be admitted into the building. They were also offered a free mask and hand sanitizer upon entry, but many chose to forgo the mask and didn’t follow social distancing guidelines once situated in front of the stage. Metal folding chairs in front of the vice president’s podium were not spaced out and standing members of the crowd stood in close quarters, chatting and waving bookmark-sized campaign handouts and red signs that said "Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!" to move air around.” [WPR, 8/19/20]
9/14: Pence Scheduled Fundraiser In Montana Hosted By QAnon Conspiracy Theorists. According to AP, “Vice President Mike Pence and top officials from President Donald Trump’s campaign are slated to attend a Montana fundraiser next week hosted by a couple who have expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to an event invitation obtained by The Associated Press and a review of social media postings. The hosts of the fundraiser, Caryn and Michael Borland, have shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts, their social media activity shows. The baseless conspiracy theory posits that Trump is fighting entrenched enemies in the government and also involves satanism and child sex trafficking.” [AP, 9/9/20]
Pence Said People Were Free To Decide Whether Or Not To Participate In A Political Rally During Coronavirus. According to CNN, “Vice President Mike Pence was twice pressed on the wisdom of holding campaign rallies, even as the administration's own public health experts continue to warn against large public gatherings and as coronavirus cases surge, during a news conference Friday. As those health experts -- including Drs. Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci -- looked on, Pence characterized attending a rally as a personal decision the government could not impede. "The freedom of speech, the right to peaceably assemble is enshrined in the Constitution of the United States," Pence said when asked -- during the first public briefing by the White House coronavirus task force in two months -- why he and President Donald Trump moved forward with campaign events. "We have an election coming up this fall," Pence said. "And President Trump and I believe that, taking proper steps -- we created screening at recent events -- and giving people the very best counsel that we have, we still want to give people the freedom to participate in the political process. And we respect that."” [CNN, 6/26/20]
Trump Put Vice President Pence In Charge Of The Coronavirus Response, As Opposed To Appointing An Outside Expert. According to Politico, “President Donald Trump on Wednesday appointed Vice President Mike Pence to lead a task force to combat the spread of the coronavirus, defying calls to appoint an outside expert to coordinate the response. Speaking during a rare appearance in the White House briefing room, Trump said Pence's experience handling health crises as Indiana governor qualified him to spearhead the growing threat of a global coronavirus outbreak. The move came as the Centers for Disease Control confirmed a coronavirus infection in California that was not linked to overseas travel, a concerning development that brought the total number of U.S. infections to 15.” [Politico, 2/26/20]
Then Governor Pence Was Criticized For Opposing A Clean-Needle Exchange Program To Slow The Worst Outbreak Of HIV In Indiana’s History. According to ABC News, “Others, however, have criticized Pence's response to the state's worst outbreak of HIV in its history and the nation's first HIV outbreak linked to the injection of oral painkillers while he was Indiana's governor in 2015. The crisis began when people started injecting a liquid form of a potent painkiller multiple times a day and sharing needles. While health officials advocated for a clean-needle exchange to slow the spread of infection, Pence staunchly opposed the program on grounds it could encourage or support drug abuse. ‘I don’t believe effective anti-drug policy involves handing out drug paraphernalia,’ Pence said at the time. ‘I don't believe that effective anti-drug policy involves handing out paraphernalia to drug users by government officials.’” [ABC News, 2/27/20]
Of The Task Force’s 16 Members – 17, Including Pence – Only Four Had Training In Science And Medicine. According to the Intercept, “Although Grogan and his friends may have a lot to gain from his participation on the task force, it is not clear what expertise he and most of the others serving on the group bring to it. Of the task force’s 16 members — 17, if you include Vice President Mike Pence, who is heading the effort — only four have any training in science or medicine. The others mostly hail from the business world, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, an investment banker who was sued for asset stripping; Ken Cuccinelli, a lawyer and self-described ‘opponent of homosexuality’ now serving as acting deputy secretary of homeland security; and Christopher Liddell, a former executive at Microsoft and General Motors, who worked with Jared Kushner on the modernization of federal IT systems before directing the country’s response to what may be the biggest public health crisis in over a century.” [The Intercept, 2/29/20]
Trump And Pence Shared Plans To Disband The Coronavirus Taskforce As The Administration Refocused On Reopening The US Economy And Vaccine Development.According to Politico, “The White House is planning to wind down its coronavirus task force in the coming weeks as it shifts focus to reopening the economy. The move is a more formal recognition of a strategy that has been developing in recent weeks. President Donald Trump and his aides have been shifting their attention toward jolting the country’s finances and speeding up vaccine development — even as the virus continues to spread to new areas of the country and the overall caseload climbs. On Tuesday, Trump said the task force will be replaced by advisory groups of ‘a different form.’ ‘That form is safety and opening,’ Trump told reporters during a trip to Arizona. ‘We will have a different group probably set up.’ Efforts to mitigate the ongoing coronavirus outbreak will ultimately be shifted to agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Vice President Mike Pence. ‘We’re having a conversation about that and about what the proper time is for the task force to complete its work,’ Pence told reporters at a briefing Tuesday. ‘We’ve already begun to talk about a transition plan with FEMA.’” [Politico, 5/5/20]
Vice President Pence Planned To Control All Coronavirus Messaging From Health Officials In An Attempt To Impose A More Disciplined Approach To Communications. According to the New York Times, “The White House moved on Thursday to tighten control of coronavirus messaging by government health officials and scientists, directing them to coordinate all statements and public appearances with the office of Vice President Mike Pence, according to several officials familiar with the new approach […] Mr. Trump announced Wednesday evening that Mr. Pence would coordinate the government’s response to the public health threat while playing down the immediate danger from the virus that is spreading rapidly across the globe. Officials insist Mr. Pence’s goal is not to control what experts and other officials say, but to make sure their efforts are coordinated, after days of confusion with various administration officials making contradictory statements on television.” [New York Times, 2/27/20]
Early April: Pence Said There Were “Glimmers Of Hope” While Top Health Officials Predicted The Week Ahead’s Impact Would Be Like 9/11 Or Pearl Harbor. According to The Hill, “President Trump on Sunday struck a more optimistic tone about the country’s progress in its effort to combat the coronavirus even as some of his top health officials predicted the coming week would be akin to Pearl Harbor or the 9/11 attacks in terms of its impact. ‘We see light at the end of the tunnel. Things are happening,’ Trump said during a White House coronavirus task force briefing. ‘We’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. And hopefully in the not too distant future we’ll be very proud of the job we all did. You can never be happy when so many people are dying, but we’re going to be very proud of the job we did to keep the death down to an absolute minimum.’ The president and other members of the task force sought to assure the public that the country may be close to getting through the worst of the pandemic. While Trump s poke of a ‘light at the end of the tunnel,’ Vice President Pence identified ‘glimmers of hope,’ and coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx said data from Italy was giving the U.S. ‘hope for what our future could be.’” [Hill, 4/5/20]
Pence: “I Think By Memorial Day Weekend We Will Largely Have This Coronavirus Epidemic Behind Us.” According to Fox News, “Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday that he thinks the coronavirus pandemic could "largely" be "behind us” by Memorial Day Weekend. “Am I going to be on my boat and fishing in early June, Mr. Vice President?” Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera asked Pence on his radio show. “If you look at the trends today, I think by Memorial Day Weekend we will largely have this coronavirus epidemic behind us,” said Pence, who is chair of the White House coronavirus task force. “State and local officials will begin to reopen activities, you’re going to see states ahead here begin to do that.”” [Fox News, 4/23/20]
Pence: “There Isn’t A Coronavirus ‘Second Wave.’” [WhiteHouse.gov, 6/16/20]
In June Pence Chided The “Overblown” Panic Spread By The Media Over A “Second Wave” Of Infections Noting Case Declines And Low Positivity Rates Across The Country. According to Pence op-ed, “In recent days, the media has taken to sounding the alarm bells over a “second wave” of coronavirus infections. Such panic is overblown. Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and the courage and compassion of the American people, our public health system is far stronger than it was four months ago, and we are winning the fight against the invisible enemy. While talk of an increase in cases dominates cable news coverage, more than half of states are actually seeing cases decline or remain stable. Every state, territory and major metropolitan area, with the exception of three, have positive test rates under 10%. And in the six states that have reached more than 1,000 new cases a day, increased testing has allowed public health officials to identify most of the outbreaks in particular settings—prisons, nursing homes and meatpacking facilities—and contain them.” [Pence Op-Ed WhiteHouse.gov, 6/16/20]
Pence In June: “We’ve Slowed The Spread, We’ve Cared For The Most Vulnerable, We’ve Saved Lives.” According to Pence op-ed, “The media has tried to scare the American people every step of the way, and these grim predictions of a second wave are no different. The truth is, whatever the media says, our whole-of-America approach has been a success. We’ve slowed the spread, we’ve cared for the most vulnerable, we’ve saved lives, and we’ve created a solid foundation for whatever challenges we may face in the future. That’s a cause for celebration, not the media’s fear mongering.” [Pence Op-Ed WhiteHouse.gov, 6/16/20]
The U.S. Saw Record 1.9 Million New Coronavirus Cases In July As The Total Death Toll Eclipsed 150,000. According to Wall Street Journal, “Cases of the new coronavirus in the U.S. reached a record for the month of July, as the White House coronavirus coordinator said the pandemic is more pervasive in the country than at any other time. The U.S. is experiencing the world’s largest outbreak and saw more than 1.9 million new cases of the disease in July, which is more than double the number of new cases recorded in any single previous month, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. By Sunday, overall cases reached 4.65 million in the U.S., and the U.S. registered more than 58,000 new daily cases. The death toll passed 154,000.” [Wall Street Journal, 8/2/20]
August: Pence Said He “Couldn’t Be More Proud Of The Leadership President Trump Had Provided From The Early Days Of The Coronavirus Pandemic” Emphasizing The Travel Ban From China. According to ABC News, “Vice President Mike Pence defended the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic on ABC’s "Good Morning America" Friday, saying he "couldn’t be more proud" of President Donald Trump’s leadership, despite millions of active cases across the country and a death toll above 170,000. "I couldn't be more proud of the leadership President Trump is provided from the early days of the coronavirus pandemic," Pence told GMA anchor George Stephanopoulos, citing Trump’s suspension of travel from China in late January.” [ABC News, 8/21/20]
March 3, 2020 Pence Said, “Any American Can Be Tested, No Restrictions” For The Coronavirus. According to the New York Times, “Vice President Mike Pence said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had lifted all restrictions on testing for the coronavirus and would be releasing new guidelines to fast-track testing for people who fear they have the virus, even if they are displaying mild symptoms. ‘Today we will issue new guidance from the C.D.C. that will make it clear that any American can be tested, no restrictions, subject to doctor’s orders,’ Mr. Pence told reporters at the White House. ‘Any American can be tested. We’re removing that barrier.’” [New York Times, 3/3/20]
March 5, 2020: Pence Acknowledged That There Was A Shortfall In The Number Of Testing Kits Required To Meet Demand. According to CNN, “Confusion and delays appear to persist in testing Americans for coronavirus even after an outcry from state and local health authorities that the United States was behind in determining the extent of the outbreak. Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the administration's response to the coronavirus crisis, acknowledged Thursday there was a shortfall in the number of testing kits required to meet demand. ‘We don't have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward,’ Pence told reporters while touring 3M facilities in Minnesota. The vice president said the government would be able to provide testing ‘for those that we believe have been exposed, for those who are showing symptoms.’ But his remarks were an acknowledgment that the administration is still not prepared to meet an expected spike in demand in tests for coronavirus, which has spread to 17 states.” [CNN, 3/5/20]
March 6, 2020: Donald Trump Said, “Anybody That Wants A Test Can Get A Test. That’s What The Bottom Line Is.” According to a White House Transcript, “THE PRESIDENT: Anybody that wants a test can get a test. That’s what the bottom line is.” [White House – Press Conference Transcript, 3/7/20]\
Pence Asserted That CDC Warnings Should Not Preclude Schools From Reopening. According to 4WWL, “‘My analysis of this on the public health scale is way in favor of reopening schools face to face and these kids can get the education they deserve,’ he said. But the CDC’s guidelines for schools to consider encourage teachers and students to stay home when possible, mitigating the contact between students and teachers who might be at a higher risk from COVID-19. Pence was blunt Tuesday in dismissing those guidelines in favor of a quick reopening. ‘To be very clear, we don’t want CDC guidance to be a reason why people don’t reopen their schools,’ he said.” [4WWL, 7/14/20]
July 2020: Pence Held A Roundtable In North Carolina To Promote Reopening Schools. According to statement, “Well, thank you. Great to be back in North Carolina and great to be here at Thales Academy. I want to thank — I want to thank the great team here. I just came from Mrs. Combs’s fourth-grade class, and I almost skipped the roundtable. (Laughter.) We were — we had a great discussion, and I could sense the spirit in the room — the enthusiasm the children feel for being back in school, which is where we want all of America’s children to be. We think we can safely reopen our schools. And I’m here to listen and learn from your experience here at the forefront of reopening a school here in America to understand how Thales Academy is doing it and how North Carolina is making it happen.” [Remarks by Vice President Pence in a Roundtable on Safely Reopening Schools, 7/29/20]
Days After Pence’s Visit At North Carolina Elementary School To Praise The Reopening Efforts, Students Were Forced To Quarantine For 14 Days After A Student Tested Positive For COVID. According to ABC News, “Fourth graders at a school in North Carolina have been asked to quarantine for 14 days after a student there tested positive for COVID-19. The school, a Thales Academy in Wake Forest, said it was notified on Monday that the student became infected after having contact with an infected family member. The student was asymptomatic and was last at school on Friday. Teachers who were exposed also will be quarantined. Thales Academy, a network of private non-sectarian community schools with eight locations in North Carolina, made the news last week after Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos visited a classroom and applauded the school for reopening.” [ABC News, 8/5/20]
February: Pence Praised Chinese Officials For “Unprecedented Level Of Transparency” Regarding The Coronavirus Citing Trump’s Phone Call With President Xi. According to CNBC, ““We think that China has demonstrated an unprecedented level of transparency” with world health officials, Pence said. However, a Wuhan doctor who sounded the alarm on social media in December about the new coronavirus was reprimanded by the police in January for spreading “illegal and false” information. The doctor, ophthalmologist Li Wenliang, died of the illness this week. In the CNBC interview, Pence referred to Thursday’s phone call between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, after which Trump tweeted that China will “be successful” in getting control over the deadly coronavirus. “Trump made it clear that the United States is ready, willing and able to deploy resources,” Pence added.” [CNBC, 2/7/20]
April: Pence: “The Reality Is We Could’ve Been Better Off If China Had Been More Forthcoming” In January Or Earlier. According to CNN, “Vice President Mike Pence sought to cast blame on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and China Wednesday when asked why the US was so late in understanding the enormity of the coronavirus pandemic. ‘I will be very candid with you and say that in mid-January the CDC was still assessing that the risk of the coronavirus to the American people was low. The very first case, which was someone who had been in China -- in late January around the 20th day of January,’ Pence told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Pence continued: ‘The reality is that we could've been better off if China had been more forthcoming. The reality is that China's been more transparent with respect to the coronavirus than certainly they were for other infectious diseases over the last 15 years,’ he said. ‘But what appears evident now is long before the world learned in December, China was dealing with this, maybe as much as a month earlier than that."” [CNN, 4/1/20]
May: Pence Pledged China Would “Be Held Accountable” For Concealing Information On The Coronavirus. According to Newsweek, “In a satellite radio interview on Saturday, Vice President Mike Pence issued a threat to China over its handling of the coronavirus, saying the country ‘will be held accountable’ for reported attempts to conceal information about the COVID-19 outbreak. ‘China let the world down,’ Pence told the conservative channel Breitbart News Saturday, which is hosted on the SiriusXM network. ‘I mean, it's remarkable to think China didn't even let American CDC personnel in on the ground until mid-February to find out what was going on.’” [Newsweek, 5/23/20]
Despite Prior Instructions And The Rule That All Visitors Wear Masks, Pence Chose Not To While Touring The Mayo Clinic. According to New York Times, “The Mayo Clinic, the renowned medical center in Minnesota, has a clear policy in place during the coronavirus outbreak that any visitor should wear a protective face mask. But when a delegation of Trump administration officials arrived at the clinic on Tuesday to thank the doctors there for their work on the virus, one person decided to flout the rule: Vice President Mike Pence, the chairman of the White House coronavirus task force. Stephen M. Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, wore a mask as did other administration officials and members of the clinic’s staff. Mr. Pence stood out as the only person with his face uncovered as he toured the virology laboratory’s labeling area and spoke to a clinic staff member who had recovered from the coronavirus. Mr. Pence also participated in a round table with local officials and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, who were also wearing masks. After his visit, the Mayo Clinic posted on Twitter that it had ‘informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today.’ The clinic then deleted the tweet, with no explanation.” [New York Times, 4/28/20]
Karen Pence Claimed That “It Was Actually After He Left Mayo Clinic That We Found Out They Had A Policy Of Asking Everyone To Wear A Mask.” According to MSN, “Second Lady Karen Pence said Thursday that her husband, Vice President Mike Pence, was not aware of the Mayo Clinic’s policy on masks until after his visit, during which he did not wear a mask. The vice president toured the Minnesota clinic Tuesday. Photos and video of Pence without a mask while surrounded by people wearing masks drew criticism. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone wear a mask in public to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Masks prevent the wearer from spreading the virus to others. Mayo Clinic said Tuesday, and reasserted Thursday, that the leader of the nation’s coronavirus task force was made aware of its masking rule before his visit. But Karen Pence contradicted that during an appearance on Fox & Friends Thursday. ‘As our medical experts have told us, wearing a a mask prevents you from spreading the disease and knowing that he doesn’t have COVID-19, he didn’t wear one,’ she said. ‘It was actually after he left Mayo Clinic that we found out they had a policy of asking everyone to wear a mask.’ Mike Pence told White House pool reporters after the Tuesday visit that he is regularly tested for the virus.” [MSN, 4/30/20]
The Day Before Pence Visited The Mayo Clinic, The Office Of The Vice-President Distributed A Memo Informing All Accompanying Journalists To Wear Masks As A Requirement Of The Clinic. According to The Washington Post, “Vice President Pence’s office threatened to retaliate against a reporter who revealed that Pence’s office had told journalists they would need masks for Pence’s visit to the Mayo Clinic — a requirement Pence himself did not follow. Pence’s trip to the clinic Tuesday generated criticism after he was photographed without a surgical mask — the only person in the room not wearing one. The Minnesota clinic requires visitors to wear masks as a precaution against spreading the coronavirus. Pence’s wife, Karen Pence, said in an interview with Fox News on Thursday that he was unaware of the mask policy until his visit was over. But Steve Herman, who covers the White House for Voice of America, suggested that there was more to the story after Karen Pence’s interview. ‘All of us who traveled with [Pence] were notified by the office of @VP the day before the trip that wearing of masks was required by the @MayoClinic and to prepare accordingly,’ tweeted Herman, who covered the trip as part of his rotation as one of the pool reporters, who share information with other reporters in limited-space situations.” [Washington Post, 4/30/20]
Pence’s Staff Announced That The Vice-President Would Not Self-Quarantine Despite Exposure To COVID-19 Positive Staff Members. According to CNN, “Vice President Mike Pence is not planning to enter self-quarantine after his press secretary tested positive for coronavirus on Friday and plans to be at the White House on Monday, his office said on Sunday. Pence spokesperson Devin O’Malley said the vice president ‘will continue to follow the advice of the White House Medical Unit and is not in quarantine.’ ‘Additionally, Vice President Pence has tested negative every single day and plans to be at the White House tomorrow,’ O’Malley said in the statement. The announcement comes as the White House continues to urge governors to begin reopening their states even as the virus has edged closer to the West Wing with news that top members of the coronavirus task force will self-quarantine, in some form, after coming in contact with an individual who tested positive for the virus. An official said there is extreme sensitivity inside the White House at the current state of affairs with officials recognizing the contradiction in telling states to reopen while the White House enhances protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.” [CNN, 5/11/20]
Three Top U.S. Health Policy Officials Entered Self-Quarantine Following Exposure To COVID-19 Infected White House Staffers. According to Politico, “Three top-ranking Trump administration health officials are in some form of quarantine after possible exposure in the White House — forcing them to self-isolate from a disease they are responsible for fighting. CDC Director Robert Redfield and Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, on Saturday evening disclosed plans to isolate over the next two weeks after ‘low-risk’ contact with an infected person. A day earlier, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn began two weeks of self-quarantine after coming in contact with White House spokesperson Katie Miller, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday. All three officials serve on the White House coronavirus task force, which the administration this week declared would remain intact — shortly after President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence suggested its work would be winding down as they shifted focus to reopening the country.” [Politico, 5/9/20]
Despite Pence’s Press Secretary’s Recent Positive Diagnosis, Pence’s Staff Instructed Food Industry Executives To Remove Their Masks During A Roundtable Discussion With The Vice President. According to Slate, “Mere hours after Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary tested positive for COVID-19, he was set to meet with a group of food industry executives who had gathered for a roundtable discussion in West Des Moines, Iowa. But before Pence joined them on the stage, someone came in and asked all five guests to remove their masks, which they all did dutifully, reports the Intercept, which posted a segment of the live video stream of the event that showed the sequence of events. ‘The strange request underscored just how committed the White House is to ignoring federal health advice intended to slow the spread of the pandemic coronavirus,’ notes the Intercept’s Robert Mackey.” [Slate, 5/10/20]
Trump Directed White House Staff To Wear Masks At Work. According to the New York Times, “WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday ordered all West Wing employees to wear masks at work unless they are sitting at their desks, an abrupt shift in policy after two aides working near the president — a military valet and Katie Miller, the vice president’s spokeswoman — tested positive for the coronavirus last week. In an internal email obtained by The New York Times, people who work in the cramped quarters around the Oval Office were told that “as an additional layer of protection, we are requiring everyone who enters the West Wing to wear a mask or face covering.” Asked at a Rose Garden news conference whether he had ordered the change, Mr. Trump — who did not wear a mask and has repeatedly said he sees no reason to — said, “Yeah, I did.” But officials said the new requirement was not expected to apply to Mr. Trump or to Vice President Mike Pence.” [NYT, 5/11/20]
In The Wake Of Several Staffers Testing Positive, Trump Announced He And Pence Would Begin Daily Coronavirus Testing. According to CNBC, “The president said Thursday that he and Pence would begin taking daily coronavirus tests, an increase from the weekly tests that had been White House protocol. There was no word on whether staffers would also be given daily tests. Currently, the White House tests visitors who will come into close contact with the president before they meet with him, checks temperatures for press, and provides weekly testing for staffers.” [CNBC, 5/8/20]
The White House Administered The Rapid Coronavirus Test To Any Individual Coming Into Contact With Trump Or Pence. According to Politico, “The White House is administering a rapid coronavirus test to anyone coming into contact with President Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence, Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere confirmed to POLITICO on Friday. ‘As the Physician to the President and White House Operations continue to protect the health and safety of the President and the Vice President, starting today anyone who is expected to be in close proximity to either of them will be administered a COVID-19 test to evaluate for pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic carriers status to limit inadvertent transmission,’ Deere said in a statement.” [Politico, 4/3/20]
Nurses Across The Country Were Unable To Get Coronavirus Tests Even After Displaying Symptoms After Treating COVID Patients. According to Reuters, “In New York City, an intensive care nurse treated patients for three days after she started displaying symptoms of COVID-19 - but couldn’t get a test from her hospital. In Georgia, a nurse was denied a test after treating an infected patient who died. In New York City, an intensive care nurse treated patients for three days after she started displaying symptoms of COVID-19 - but couldn’t get a test from her hospital. In Georgia, a nurse was denied a test after treating an infected patient who died.” [Reuters, 4/8/20]
Mike Pence’s Chief Of Staff, Marc Short Owned Between $506,043 and $1.64 Million Worth Of Stock In Companies Directly Tied To White House Pandemic Relief Efforts. According to NPR, “Marc Short, the chief of staff to Vice President Pence, owns between $506,043 and $1.64 million worth of individual stocks in companies doing work related to the Trump administration’s pandemic response — holdings that could run afoul of conflict of interest laws. Many of the medical, pharmaceutical and manufacturing companies – including 3M, Abbott Laboratories, Gilead Sciences, Procter & Gamble, Medtronic, Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson – in which Short and his wife hold stock have been directly affected by or involved in the work of the coronavirus task force chaired by Pence. Other companies among his holdings, such as CVS, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Walmart and Roche, have been publicly touted by the White House for their work with the federal government on the coronavirus response. Short declared at least some of his stock holdings — more than 100 listings of individual stocks across a range of economic sectors — to be potential conflicts of interest after he joined the vice president’s office last year. But he did not divest those holdings after being denied a tax break often granted to government officials who must sell stock to comply with ethics laws.” [NPR, 5/28/20]
A Company Run By A Former White House Volunteer For Pence Received A $2.4 Million Dollar Federal Contract For Surgical Gowns Through The U.S. Bureau Of Prisons. According to ProPublica, “A company created by a former Pentagon official who describes himself as a White House volunteer for Vice President Mike Pence won a $2.4 million dollar contract in May — its first federal award — to supply the Bureau of Prisons with surgical gowns. Mathew J. Konkler, who worked in the Department of Defense during the George W. Bush administration, formed BlackPoint Distribution Company LLC in August 2019 in Indiana, state records show, but had won no federal work until May 26. The Bureau of Prisons chose the company with limited competition for a contract to supply surgical gowns to its facilities.” [ProPublica, 6/26/20]