A witness who attracted national attention after testifying at the side of Rudolph W. Giuliani about alleged voter fraud in Michigan says she is not self-quarantining and has not been tested for the coronavirus in the wake of Giuliani’s positive test and hospitalization.
Mellissa Carone testified before state lawmakers on Dec. 2 for about 30 minutes while sitting beside the president’s personal attorney in Lansing, according to a video of the hearing. Neither wore masks. She also posed for photos with Giuliani, who health officials later said was “extremely likely” to have been contagious with the virus at the time.
Health officials in Ingham County, which includes Lansing, on Monday ordered anyone who had been in contact with Giuliani at close range and for more than 15 minutes to self-quarantine after President Trump tweeted that his personal attorney had tested positive for the coronavirus. The county officials said they cannot enforce the directive outside their borders.
In a phone interview Tuesday from her home in the Detroit suburbs, Carone told The Washington Post that she was living her life normally and had no plans to change that. She said she was unaware of the health advisory and was not worried about contracting the virus.
“I would take it seriously if it came from Trump, because Trump cares about American lives,” Carone said, adding that if television networks friendly to Trump such as One America News or Newsmax “told me to go get tested, I would do it.”
“It is not that I don’t believe in getting tested. I don’t trust the tests,” Carone said.
She spoke admiringly of Giuliani, calling him “one of the most respectful, polite, just down-to-earth people I have ever met. He is great.”
Since her appearance with Giuliani, media scrutiny 0f Carone has uncovered biographical information, including a recent criminal conviction.
Too bad about all the people she could be infecting. I guess that’s just their tough luck.
People like her number in the millions. And they are driving trucks and teaching kids and dispensing medication and otherwise engaging in activities that require at least a modicum of common sense and the ability to follow rules. Clearly, they cannot be counted on to do that.
How do we fix something like this? I honestly don’t have any idea.