Another top Trump attorney in elections battle tests positive for COVID
Jenna Ellis, a legal adviser for President Donald Trump’s campaign who has been involved in efforts to challenge the results of the presidential election, has tested positive for COVID-19, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.
She told her associates of her positive test, Axios first reported. Multiple sources later confirmed the report to CNN and ABC News.
Ellis did not respond to a request for confirmation from Axios.
This comes after news broke Sunday that Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney who’s leading the campaign’s election-related legal efforts, had tested positive for the virus. He was reportedly admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center and is experiencing mild symptoms.
Ellis and Giuliani have been traveling across the country arguing on Trump’s behalf regarding the election results, including in Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania. They’ve appeared at hearings without wearing masks, ABC reports.
The president and his allies have made claims of voter fraud in an attempt to challenge the outcome of the election, but election officials from across the country representing both parties have said there’s been no evidence of widespread fraud.
President-elect Joe Biden was projected the winner of the election Nov. 7. He has 306 Electoral College votes to Trump’s 232. A candidate needs 270 to win. The Electoral College is scheduled to meet Dec. 14 to confirm the votes.
Ellis also attended a Christmas Party at the White House on Friday, where she was seen not wearing a mask, ABC reports.
It’s unclear whether Ellis was contagious Friday, but her attendance at the party has sparked concern about another White House superspreader event, according to Axios.
Multiple people in the Trump administration — including the president and first lady Melania Trump — tested positive for the coronavirus after attending a nomination ceremony for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett at the White House Rose Garden in September.
Ellis is the most recent of more than a dozen in Trump’s circle who have tested positive for the virus.
Giuliani’s son, Andrew Giuliani, and Donald Trump Jr., one of the president’s sons, along with several others tested positive in mid-November, according to The New York Times.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and David Bossie, an adviser involved in the campaign’s lawsuit efforts, tested positive earlier in November.
It’s unclear when Ellis tested positive or if she is experiencing symptoms.
This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Another top Trump attorney in elections battle tests positive for COVID."
