‘Deadline’ Accidentally Publishes Article Claiming Mike Pence Tested Positive For Coronavirus
Deadline accidentally published an article on Thursday evening claiming that Mike Pence tested positive for the coronavirus. Not long afterward, the piece was pulled down, and the publication issued an apology.
“A draft post of a story about Vice President Mike Pence testing positive for coronavirus that was never meant to publish was accidently [sic] posted on Deadline,” the statement read.
“It was pulled down immediately. It never should have been posted and Deadline will take steps to see this kind of thing never happens again. Apologies to the Vice President and our readers. We regret the error.”
The wrongfully-posted article noted that Pence claimed to have received a negative test for the virus before Wednesday night’s debate against Kamala Harris. The piece also highlighted that Pence’s planned visit to his home state of Indiana was scrapped on Thursday, which his director of communications suggested had nothing to do with COVID-19.
Deadline's pre-write about Pence having coronavirus is still up though pic.twitter.com/DrSkUQFHOw
— jordan (@JordanUhl) October 8, 2020
Deadline also highlighted the comments made about Pence’s eyes during the debate, which some speculated might be a sign that he is infected with the coronavirus. As The Inquisitr reported, between 1 and 3 percent of people with coronavirus experience conjunctivitis, which is inflammation or infection of the eye. However, there are many causes of pink-eye, including allergens, bacteria, and chemicals.
“Conjunctivitis is not a common manifestation of the disease, but contact with infected eyes could be one route of transmission,” a scientific review from September claimed, per BuzzFeed News.
As noted by BuzzFeed, Pence was present at numerous White House events with officials and Republicans who have since tested positive for the virus, including the celebration of Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination, a campaign rally, and a Gold Star families reception. The veterans’ reception notably received scrutiny for the lack of social distancing and mask-wearing among those who attended the event.
Pence remains one of the lucky White House officials who have yet to test positive for coronavirus. Along with Donald Trump, many prominent administration officials have contracted the disease, including Hope Hicks and Stephen Miller — both of whom are senior aides to the president.
As reported by ABC News, an internal memo from FEMA — a branch of the Department of Homeland Security — claimed that 34 people connected to the White House had tested positive for COVID-19. The publication noted that the number is larger than it was in earlier reports — which suggested 24 aides and their contacts were affected — and highlights the “growing crisis” in Trump’s administration.
