Giuliani Tests Positive for COVID-19

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who is President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, has tested positive for COVID-19.

Trump announced the positive test in a tweet Sunday afternoon. Giuliani, 76, has traveled extensively to battleground states in recent weeks to lead the legal effort in the Trump campaign’s fight against the results of the presidential election, which was won by former Vice President Joe Biden but which the Trump campaign argues was marred by fraudulent ballots.

“Rudy Giuliani, by far the greatest mayor in the history of NYC, and who has been working tirelessly exposing the most corrupt election (by far!) in the history of the USA, has tested positive for the China Virus,” Trump tweeted. “Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!”

Giuliani made an appearance earlier Sunday on Fox News to speak about his legal battles regarding the election. On numerous occasions he has met with local officials for hours at a time without wearing a mask.

Last Wednesday night, Giuliani was in Lansing, Michigan, to testify in a 4 1/2-hour legislative hearing in which he pushed Republican lawmakers to ignore the certification of Joe Biden’s Michigan victory and appoint electors for Trump. He did not wear a mask, nor did lawyer Jenna Ellis, who was sitting next to him. At one point, he asked one of his witnesses — a Detroit election worker — if she would be comfortable removing her mask. But legislators said they could hear her.

The diagnosis comes more than a month after Trump lost reelection and more than two months after Trump himself was stricken with the virus in early October. Since then, a flurry of administration officials and others in Trump’s orbit have also been sickened, including White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development.

Trump has generally declined to encourage mask-wearing and other safety measures. White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx on Sunday offered tacit criticism of Trump’s attitude during an interview on NBC.

Asked about Trump and other administration members disregarding public health experts’ warnings to avoid large gatherings and calls to wear masks, Birx replied that some leaders are “parroting” myths and called the pandemic “the worst event that this country will face.”

“And I think our job is to constantly say those are myths, they are wrong and you can see the evidence-base,” Birx added.