Tillis tests positive for COVID-19, becoming fourth member of Senate stricken

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Sen. Tillis slams Senate Dems who won’t meet Amy Coney Barrett

Democrats 'will find it very hard to go after’ Barrett if they met with her for an hour, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., tells ‘Fox & Friends.’

North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who is running for re-election, has become the fourth member of the Senate to test positive for COVID-19.

The senator announced Friday night that he has been diagnosed with coronavirus, making him the fourth member of the Senate and the sixth person who attended the nomination ceremony for Supreme Court justice candidate Amy Coney Barrett, to test positive for COVID-19.

"Over the last few months, I’ve been routinely tested for COVID-19, including testing negative last Saturday, but tonight my rapid antigen test came back positive," Tillis said in a statement.

Tillis’ news comes just hours after President Trump and the First Lady made the shocking announcement that they had tested positive for the coronavirus. Fellow members of the SenateRand Paul, of Kentucky, Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana and Mike Lee, of Utah, have also tested positive for COVID-19.

The senator said he was feeling fine and asymptomatic, but will be following doctor recommendations and self-isolating for ten days at his home Huntersville, N.C.

One of Trump’s closest advisors, Hope Hicks, announced Thursday night that she had tested positive for coronavirus, the first of six people including the president and first lady who attended the Rose Garden ceremony Saturday, to be diagnosed with COVID-19.

THREE WHITE HOUSE REPORTERS TESTS POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS

The ceremony drew criticism from the left, not just for what Democrats call a rushed attempt to appoint a justice to the Supreme Court with a nearing election, but because the attendees did not appear to be social distancing or wearing masks.

Lee and John Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame, were also in attendance and announced their positive test results Friday.

Three White House press pool journalists have also reportedly tested positive.

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Coney Barrett was diagnosed with coronavirus this summer but has recovered.

“She is following CDC guidance and best practices, including social distancing, wearing face coverings, and frequently washes hands,” Deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere told the Washington Post Friday.