Several Secret Service agents tasked with planning Vice President Pence’s trip to Arizona this week were reportedly removed from the trip after showing signs of coronavirus infection, sources with knowledge of the situation told The Washington Post.
Up to 10 secret services and other law enforcement officers working on the trip were replaced after showing symptoms of the virus, and at least one tested positive for the disease, two senior administration officials, speaking in terms of anonymity, told the newspaper. .
A USSS spokesman declined to confirm that officers were removed from the trip for concerns related to COVID-19, and told The Hill in an email that the agency “continues to operate in accordance with recommendations from the Centers for Control and Control. Disease Prevention through the US Secret Service Office of Safety, Health and Environmental Programs (SAF). “
“The health and safety of our workforce, their families, and that of our protégés remains the agency’s highest priority,” they added.
A spokesman for the vice president, Devin O’Malley, also declined to confirm the officers’ removal and criticized the Post in a statement to the newspaper for covering the story.
“Rather than highlight Vice President Pence’s concerted effort with Task Force members to visit and support states with new cases, The Washington Post is choosing to use its pages to report a story of little use to Americans trying to learn more about how the coronavirus affects them or the Administration’s response efforts, “O’Malley said.
Pence arrived in Arizona on Wednesday along with other top administration officials with the White House coronavirus task force as part of a trip to see the areas most affected by the virus.
Confirmed coronavirus cases have increased in many states across the country, hitting states like Arizona, Florida, Texas, California, Georgia, and Oklahoma.
Florida recorded more than 10,000 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, a record one day since the start of the pandemic.
Pence said the recent surge in Arizona prompted his visit to the Grand Canyon state.
“Well, the increase in cases here in Arizona is the reason I am here. That is why we brought the White House Coronavirus Task Force here, ”Pence said in Phoenix, according to the Post. “I am a true believer, like President Trump
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