Trump's former FDA chief: Pence is "not in the clear" from coronavirus infection
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Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" Sunday that Vice President Mike Pence is "not in the clear" from getting the coronavirus.
Why it matters: Pence is expected to hit the campaign trail hard later this week, even as President Trump is in Walter Reed Medical Center for COVID-19 treatment.
- Pence, who has tested negative, is scheduled to have a full campaign schedule, following the vice presidential debate on Wednesday.
What he's saying: "Anyone who was with the president on Tuesday, Wednesday is not in the clear," Gottlieb said.
- "Anyone who was with any of the people who were currently infected earlier this week, they were probably at their peak contagion at that point," he added.
- "Typically, you're most contagious about 24 hours before the onset of symptoms. The debate prep on Tuesday is a source of potential third-generation spread. The meeting of the Senate GOP on Wednesday is a source of third-generation spread."
The other side: Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump's re-election campaign, meanwhile, defended Pence's decision to continue to campaign in person.
- "I have no concerns at all," Miller told NBC's "Meet the Press."
- "The vice president takes very serious all of these measures. Anyone around the vice president are tested. People are kept very safe."
- "And again, we can't hide from this virus forever. ... We have to take it head-on. We have to reopen the economy. And we have to develop this vaccine and defeat the virus."
The bottom line: "We'll likely see more cases emerge, unfortunately, early this week from people who are currently infected who went on to infect other people," Gottlieb said.
Go deeper: Trump campaign launches "Operation MAGA" after president's COVID-19 diagnosis
