National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien is seen on the front driveway of the White House following an interview on May 24, 2020. (Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Jul 27, 2020
Robert O'Brien, National Security adviser to President Donald Trump, is self-isolating Monday after testing positive for coronavirus--an infection that raises questions about the health and safety of key White House officials.
In a statement, the White House said there was no danger to Trump or Vice President Mike Pence and that O'Brien is working from home.
"There is no risk of exposure to the president or the vice president," the White House said. "The work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted."
\u201cNEWS: Robert O\u2019Brien is the closest official to Trump to develop the coronavirus, sources tell me and @SalehaMohsin, as the pandemic continues to surge with infections and deaths on the rise in many U.S. states.\nhttps://t.co/0h8V0L3lmO\u201d— Jennifer Jacobs (@Jennifer Jacobs) 1595854164
According to Bloomberg:
O'Brien contracted the virus while taking a few days off from work, spending time with his family. Since his diagnosis, O'Brien has been isolating at home while still running the National Security Council, doing most of his work by phone, another person said.
As Politico reported, O'Brien and deputy Mark Pottinger were early White House proponents of taking aggressive action to combat the disease:
In March, O'Brien and Pottinger took steps to prevent a potential outbreak within the NSC by dividing the council's front-office support staff in half and running each half from different offices. Pottinger, whose brother is a virologist, has been one of the most vocal proponents of measures like masking and temperature checks among the White House staff.
News Monday of the diagnosis follows last weeks's announcement by the president that next month's Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida will be cancelled and held virtually due to the pandemic and a surge in cases around the country as states reel from outbreaks in the wake of reopenings and a broader failure to address the crisis.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Robert O'Brien, National Security adviser to President Donald Trump, is self-isolating Monday after testing positive for coronavirus--an infection that raises questions about the health and safety of key White House officials.
In a statement, the White House said there was no danger to Trump or Vice President Mike Pence and that O'Brien is working from home.
"There is no risk of exposure to the president or the vice president," the White House said. "The work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted."
\u201cNEWS: Robert O\u2019Brien is the closest official to Trump to develop the coronavirus, sources tell me and @SalehaMohsin, as the pandemic continues to surge with infections and deaths on the rise in many U.S. states.\nhttps://t.co/0h8V0L3lmO\u201d— Jennifer Jacobs (@Jennifer Jacobs) 1595854164
According to Bloomberg:
O'Brien contracted the virus while taking a few days off from work, spending time with his family. Since his diagnosis, O'Brien has been isolating at home while still running the National Security Council, doing most of his work by phone, another person said.
As Politico reported, O'Brien and deputy Mark Pottinger were early White House proponents of taking aggressive action to combat the disease:
In March, O'Brien and Pottinger took steps to prevent a potential outbreak within the NSC by dividing the council's front-office support staff in half and running each half from different offices. Pottinger, whose brother is a virologist, has been one of the most vocal proponents of measures like masking and temperature checks among the White House staff.
News Monday of the diagnosis follows last weeks's announcement by the president that next month's Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida will be cancelled and held virtually due to the pandemic and a surge in cases around the country as states reel from outbreaks in the wake of reopenings and a broader failure to address the crisis.
Robert O'Brien, National Security adviser to President Donald Trump, is self-isolating Monday after testing positive for coronavirus--an infection that raises questions about the health and safety of key White House officials.
In a statement, the White House said there was no danger to Trump or Vice President Mike Pence and that O'Brien is working from home.
"There is no risk of exposure to the president or the vice president," the White House said. "The work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted."
\u201cNEWS: Robert O\u2019Brien is the closest official to Trump to develop the coronavirus, sources tell me and @SalehaMohsin, as the pandemic continues to surge with infections and deaths on the rise in many U.S. states.\nhttps://t.co/0h8V0L3lmO\u201d— Jennifer Jacobs (@Jennifer Jacobs) 1595854164
According to Bloomberg:
O'Brien contracted the virus while taking a few days off from work, spending time with his family. Since his diagnosis, O'Brien has been isolating at home while still running the National Security Council, doing most of his work by phone, another person said.
As Politico reported, O'Brien and deputy Mark Pottinger were early White House proponents of taking aggressive action to combat the disease:
In March, O'Brien and Pottinger took steps to prevent a potential outbreak within the NSC by dividing the council's front-office support staff in half and running each half from different offices. Pottinger, whose brother is a virologist, has been one of the most vocal proponents of measures like masking and temperature checks among the White House staff.
News Monday of the diagnosis follows last weeks's announcement by the president that next month's Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida will be cancelled and held virtually due to the pandemic and a surge in cases around the country as states reel from outbreaks in the wake of reopenings and a broader failure to address the crisis.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.