More than 130 Secret Service officers are quarantining due to positive coronavirus tests or exposure to a co-worker who has tested positive, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: Officials told the Post that they believe the cases at least partly stem from President Trump's run of campaign rallies before Election Day. The number of officers forced off-duty — roughly 10% of its core security team — could stress the Secret Service at large, forcing overtime and missed days off to make up for the strain.
- "Being down more than 100 officers is very problematic. That does not bode well for White House security," a former senior Secret Service supervisor told the Post.
The state of play: The Secret Service outbreaks come as the White House is experiencing another coronavirus outbreak of its own — just weeks after one that left Trump himself sickened.
- Chief of staff Mark Meadows, HUD Secretary Ben Carson and campaign adviser Corey Lewandowski all tested positive for the virus after attending an election night party there. A number of other officials and attendees also tested positive.
The big picture: The White House's struggles come as the nation is seeing a massive rise in daily coronavirus cases. A record 152,000 new cases were reported in the U.S. on Thursday.
- Trump has not yet addressed the rise in cases and has largely avoided public events in the last week.
