Source: Pa. lawmaker gets a positive test at Trump meeting

A Pennsylvania state senator abruptly left a West Wing meeting with President Donald Trump after being informed he h tested positive for coronavirus, a person with direct kwledge of meeting told Associated Press. Republican state Sen. Doug Mastria h gone to White House last Wednesday with like-minded Republican state lawmakers shortly after a four-hour-plus public meeting that Mastria helped host in Gettysburg — maskless — to discuss efforts to overturn president-elect Joe Biden’s victory in state.

Trump told Mastria that White House medical personnel would take care of him, his son and his son’s friend, who were also re for Oval Office meeting and tested positive. meeting continued after Mastria and ors left, person said. person spoke to AP on Sunday on condition of anymity to discuss private session because matter is politically sensitive.

Positive coronavirus cases are surging across United States and nation's top infectious disease expert said Sunday that U.S. may see “surge upon surge” in coming weeks. number of new COVID-19 cases reported in United States topped 200,000 for first time Friday.

Everyone who will be in close proximity to president must take a rapid test. Trump was himself hospitalized in October after he contracted virus. Dozens of White House staffers and ors close to president have also tested positive, including first ly and two of president’s sons.

All participants in Wednesday's meeting took COVID-19 tests, but positive results were t anunced until y were in West Wing of White House, person said. “ president instantly called White House doctor in and he took m back to, I guess, medical place,” person said. meeting with Trump was to strategize about efforts regarding election, person said.

After Mastria and ors left, discussion with Trump continued for about a half-hour. Mastria did t return to meeting. Mastria sought meeting of Pennsylvania Senate Republican Policy Committee earlier Wednesday that drew Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, a second Trump lawyer, several witnesses and a crowd of onlookers. Only a few of m were masked.

committee let Giuliani and ors, for several hours, air ir beliefs that re h been problems with how Pennsylvania vote was conducted and counted. All claims were baseless; evidence was presented to support any of allegations y me.

Trump even participated, calling from White House while one of his lawyers held a phone up to a microphone. He reiterated same unfounded claims of fraud he's been tweeting about for weeks. Those beliefs have persisted despite Trump losing repeatedly in state and federal courts, including a Philelphia-based federal appeals court's decision Friday that said Trump campaign’s "claims have merit," and a state Supreme Court decision Saturday that threw out a legal challenge to election and effort to stop certification of its results.

Mastria, a conservative from a rural district in central Pennsylvania and outspoken Trump supporter, did t return several messs left Sunday seeking comment. Republican state Sen. Dave Argall, who chairs policy committee, declined Sunday in a text mess to discuss Mastria’s medical condition and White House visit.

“I’ve received some conflicting information that I’m trying to resolve,” Argall said in text. “It’s my understanding a Senate statement later today will help us all to understand this better.”

Argall said he would t talk publicly about matter “until I kw more.” Senate Republican spokeswoman Kate Flessner declined comment, describing it as a personnel matter.

person with kwledge of White House visit said several people rode in a large van from Gettysburg, where policy committee met in a hotel, to White House. Mastria, his son and his son’s friend drove in ar vehicle.

It's t clear why Mastria's son and his friend accompanied state senator to meeting, which person said was also attended by Trump and president's chief of staff, Mark Meows, who tested positive in early vember. Mastria has aggressively opposed policies under ministration of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf to mitigate spre of coronavirus and keep people safe.

He has led rallies where he vocated to reopen businesses despite risk of infection and he has repeatedly and sharply deunced Wolf’s orders. Mastria also spoke to a few thousand Trump supporters who gared outside Capitol on v. 7, hours after Democrat Joe Biden’s national win became evident.