The virus was also a guest at Trump's meeting in the Rose Garden

At 19 degrees Celsius and a slight chance of precipitation, Saturday September 26 was certainly not a bright late summer day in Washington. Still, that day the Trump administration decided to cancel the presentation from Amy Coney Barrett as a nominee Supreme Court judge in the open air. At least 150 guests took place on rows of closely spaced folding chairs in the Rose Garden. A rectangular lawn, lined with some flower beds and trees, adjoins the west wing of the presidential living and working residence.

The Rose Garden ceremony on that Saturday is under a magnifying glass now that at least seven attendees have recently tested positive for the new corona virus – President Donald Trump himself in the lead. On Thursday he reported being infected with the virus, after which he was transferred by helicopter to the Walter Reed military hospital in Maryland “just in case” on Friday. He says he feels good, but is also “tired”, and will certainly be hospitalized for a few days.

With an average incubation period of five to six days, it may well be that Trump contracted the virus that Saturday. As well as others in his entourage, after which he may have been infected, US media speculate this weekend in reconstructions of Trump’s recent work and campaign schedule.

Outside air

Just because the meeting was in the open air does not seem to have become a true super spread event for the time being. The many available press photos and camera images show that only a few invitees wore masks. The only ones who consistently wear them are the men and women in army uniforms, the journalists in the press, and the wait staff. The guests, including many top Republicans, shake hands carefree, hand out hugs and stand or sit close together.

These prominent Republicans tested positive:

The ceremony “was a triumphant flashback to the Old Times – before health regulations curtailed mass gatherings, before people were urgently asked to wear face masks and keep their distance from one another,” wrote The Washington Post Saturday morning. Those present did indeed have a triumph to celebrate: they listened to the recitation of yet another the third conservative high judge Trump can appoint. This would give the Court a stable 6-3 conservative majority for years, possibly decades.

That historic feat, which Trump would greatly please Christian voters with, is in danger of being delayed precisely because of the carefree launch of Amy Coney Barrett’s candidacy in the Rose Garden. Even before Covid-19 reached the White House late this week, Republicans had an unusually tight schedule for its nomination process. They would prefer to have them completed before the presidential and congressional elections on 3 November. And in any case before the beginning of January when a new Senate takes office, in which they may no longer have a majority. In addition, a possible disputed result of the presidential election may end up end up in the Supreme Court: another reason for Trump and his party to get a conservative majority in the Court soon.

Also read: How does corona affect the elections and 22 other questions

Justice Commission

Coney Barrett’s nomination process is due to begin Oct. 12 with four days of hearings in the influential Senate Justice Committee. But two of them have now tested positive: Thom Tillis, Senator for North Carolina, and Mike Lee, of Utah. The last one is gone watch a video of parliamentary channel C-Span while he hands out hugs in the Rose Garden, a blue disposable mouth cap wrinkled in his hand.

Only if Tillis (60) and Lee (49) develop no further symptoms after their positive test, can they just be present on October 12. According to (otherwise non-binding) government guidelines, they must be in home isolation for ten days, counting from the date that they are free of complaints.

After the committee meetings, a vote in the full Senate is the next step in the procedure. The Republicans now seem to have enough votes with only two dissidents in the group. But then it is essential that all other senators are physically present: dialing in from home is not an option during a vote.

The Democrats, already strongly opposed to filling a vacancy in the Supreme Court so shortly before the election, say they do not trust their Republican colleagues on this point. “It is irresponsible and dangerous to go ahead with the hearing – and there is no good reason for it,” said Chuck Schumer, Senate Democrats leader on Friday. The opposition party first wants more clarity about which Republican representatives could have been infected last Saturday. “Otherwise, an already non-legitimate process will also become dangerous.”

Despite all the Democratic criticism, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and Committee Chair Lindsey Graham ultimately determine how and when the proceedings begin. Graham said on Friday he wants to stick to Oct. 12, and McConnell suggested that some of the infected Republican colleagues could also participate via video connection. The Democrats rejected that because the issue is too important for that. McConnell, however, tweeted Friday, after a phone call with Trump, “Full speed ahead with the fair, thorough and timely process that the candidate, the Supreme Court and the country deserve.”