The director of the White House’s security office is reportedly recovering from Covid-19 after a difficult three-month hospitalization which involved the amputation of his right foot and lower leg, one of the most horrific cases to emerge out of a wave of infections that has swept through the White House. 

The White House is shown as the sun sets on December 9, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Key Facts

Bloomberg first reported the news of Crede Bailey’s sustained illness on Monday afternoon; the White House press office told Forbes it would not comment. 

According to Bloomberg, Bailey, who contracted the virus in September, was hospitalized for three months and is now at a rehabilitation center where he will be fitted with a prosthetic leg. 

Multiple outlets previously reported that Bailey was in critical condition, though it was only learned Monday that his battle against the virus claimed the big toe on his left foot, his entire right foot, and his lower leg, as told to Bloomberg by a friend, Dawn McCrobie. 

McCrobie launched a GoFundMe page in mid-November to help raise money to pay off Bailey’s “staggering” medical bills. 

“Let me say that Crede will NOT be happy I’ve done this as he is a proud man who is the first to help everyone else but would never ask for help himself,” says the fundraising page, adding that the “reality” is Bailey has a “long road ahead in rehab before he can go home.” 

The Trump campaign did not respond to questions from Forbes about whether President Trump has—or plans to—contribute to the fundraiser, which has raised $35,842 of its $50,000 goal to date, with the highest donation so far at $1,000. 

Key Background  

Though it’s not known where Bailey picked up the virus, he is one of a number of people in and around the White House to test positive for Covid-19. Bloomberg reported that Bailey, who has been the White House’s chief security officer since June 2018, came down with Covid-19 over the Labor Day weekend—before the Sept. 26 nomination ceremony for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, which is thought to have led to a wave of infections in the capitol. President Trump—and many of his allies—have routinely flouted guidelines to reduce the spread of the disease, with the president joking about and underplaying his own illness in October, for which he was hospitalized at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. The president and other high-profile figures who have contracted the disease have benefited from access to treatment options unavailable to the general public when they do fall sick, including experimental drugs like Regeneron’s antibody cocktail and remdesivir, which at the time they were administered to Trump were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. 

Crucial Quote 

Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani was criticized recently for touting his “celebrity” status as means to access better treatment options. “Sometimes when you’re a celebrity, they’re worried,” said Giuliani during a radio interview after leaving the hospital last week. “If something happens to you, they’re going to examine it more carefully and do everything right.” 

This content was originally published here.

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