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Who are the 5 Mike Pence aides who tested Covid-19 positive? Internet slams Trump, says 'Pence next'

'Trump out of control. They jet cross country having super-spreader rallies. No testing. No masking. If they win, by this time next yr almost 1M Americans will be dead,' one tweeted

The US has reported 8.64 million Covid-19 cases so far. Right from President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to their closest aides in the White House, almost everybody has contracted the virus once. Now according to the latest reports, some of the staff of vice-president Mike Pence are the new victims of the deadly pathogen. The reports revealed that around five people from Pence's team, including Marc Short, the chief of staff, tested positive for Covid-19.

Pence's spokesperson, Devin O'Malley, recently announced that Short tested positive for the virus on Saturday, October 24. “Vice President Pence and Mrs Pence both tested negative for Covid-19 today, and remain in good health,” O’Malley said, adding that, “While Vice President Pence is considered a close contact with Mr Short, in consultation with the White House Medical Unit, the vice president will maintain his schedule in accordance with the CDC guidelines for essential personnel.”

According to a New York Times report, the statement didn't come from the White House medical unit but was released from a press aide. Two people briefed on the matter said that the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, had sought to keep news of the outbreak from becoming public. Earlier this week, it was reported that Pence's adviser, Marty Obst, also recently tested positive for Covid-19. According to the report, O’Malley did not immediately respond to a question about others who had tested positive. According to the revelations made, a total of five people who were working closely with Pence have tested positive for Covid-19. Even though two names have been revealed, but there are still three names that have not been revealed by Pence's department. We will update this article once we have more information.

Who is Marc Short?

Short, the closest aide of Pence, became the latest high-profile figure in the Trump administration to test positive for Covid-19 on Saturday. "In a town of big egos and self-promotion, Marc Short stands out by trying to stand back," a profile of Short by the National Journal, known for its in-depth coverage of the inner workings of the federal government, says. Previously, Short led Trump’s legislative agenda as the White House director of legislative affairs. In 2017, Politico described him as "soft-spoken, self-effacing" and skilled at "smoothing Trump’s rougher edges". He left that role in summer 2018 and returned to the Trump administration to serve as Pence's chief of staff in early 2019. Short has been linked with Pence for about a decade, according to Politico.

Who is Marty Obst?

In the 2016 elections, Obst first served as a campaign manager for then-governor Pence. He was responsible for "day to day operations, overall campaign planning and coordination, as well as major donor fundraising". When Pence took the position of vice-president, Obst became the manager and director of operations for the Pence's campaign and worked in "overseeing the planning, execution, and fundraising for the Vice Presidential candidate". Even though Obst is not a government official employee, he is considered as one of the closest aides of Pence.

As soon as the news of Pence's staff contracting Covid-19 came to light, people started reacting to it. One Internet user said, "Pence’s decision to continue campaigning, despite his proximity to his chief of staff, is certain to raise fresh questions about how seriously the White House is taking the risks to its staff members and to the public." While another one said, "It's at least five people who got infected 5-14 days ago The situation now is probably Wuhan's wet market level. Is this what Trump meant by some testing is foolish?"

Slamming the conservative party, one wrote, "Pence next. It's only a matter of time. Trump out of control. They jet cross country having super-spreader rallies. No testing. No masking. And Trump thinks he's doing a good job! 220K ppl dead. If they win, by this time next yr almost 1M Americans will be dead because of them." To which another replied: "Pence next or Pence already had it? Remember his 'conjunctivitis' during the debate?"

MEAWW cannot independently verify and does not support any claims being made on the Internet.