72+ COVID cases connected to elite D.C. 'superspreader' event

More than 70 positive COVID-19 cases among top politicians, officials and journalists have been linked to a single event in Washington, D.C., according to reports.

The Gridiron Club, the oldest and most prestigious journalistic organization in Washington, held its annual dinner on Apr. 2 – its first in person since 2019 due to the pandemic. The event celebrates journalism and stage self-deprecating comedy sketches.

The formal dinner had about 630 attendees among the D.C. political elite, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), White House chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci, and other White House officials, Capitol Hill politicians and important journalists, reports the New York Post.

The Washington Post reported a few days later that several high-profile positive cases were linked to the Gridiron Club dinner.

White House officials who tested positive include Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Jamal Simmmons, communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Pelosi announced she had tested positive on Thursday, sparking concerns she had passed COVID-19 to President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama after appearing with them at multiple events.

The White House said Monday that Biden and Harris had both tested negative that day.

Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) were also among the positive COVID-19 cases. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) announced she tested positive after she voted to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown to the Supreme Court.

Some who traveled from out of town also tested positive after attending, such as New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Attendees were asked to show proof of vaccination to enter the white-tie event but not negative tests. Many were unmasked.

The Gridiron Club confirmed on Monday that 72 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to the dinner, some indirectly through attendees.

Byron York, Chief Political Correspondent of the Washington Examiner, pointed out how coverage of the dinner of mostly liberal A-listers has been much quieter than supposed “superspeader events” during the 2020 presidential election campaign, usually Republican.

Events labeled as “superspreaders” by the media included then-President Donald Trump’s rallies and the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. USA Today even published a photo of the confirmation with all 213 attendees numbered, asking readers, “Help us ID them all.”