The director of White House security who has been hospitalized since September with COVID-19 needed his lower right leg amputated along with his left big toe due to complications from the virus, according to a report by Bloomberg News, citing confirmation by family friends.
Crede Bailey, who tested positive prior to Sept. 26, remains in a rehabilitation center and will be fitted with a prosthetic leg in the coming months, the report said.
Bailey, a career federal employee, came down with the most severe case among numerous other White House staffers in recent months, including President Donald Trump, who contracted the coronavirus but went on to fully recover, the report said.
Several news reports in October described Bailey as “gravely ill.”
The man’s family previously asked the president not to publicly announce his illness, but word eventually got out after friends started a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $30,000 to put toward Bailey’s rehabilitation, Bloomberg reported, while it couldn’t determine whether Trump had personally contributed.
“Crede beat COVID-19 but it came at a significant cost: his big toe on his left foot as well as his right foot and lower leg had to be amputated,” said Dawn McCrobie, who started the fundraiser for Bailey on Nov. 13. “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.”
McCrobie has continued to post periodic updates about Bailey’s condition on the website, adding that Bailey’s “house will need to be renovated to accommodate his disability.”
“His family has staggering medical bills from a hospital stay of 2+ months and still counting in the ICU and a long road ahead in rehab before he can go home,” McCrobie wrote. “When he does make it home there will be major changes necessary to deal with his new, and permanent, disability.”
Bloomberg confirmed McCrobie’s connection to Bailey through two family members who asked to remain anonymous because of a desire to keep the matter private.
Bailey’s closest associates, including McCrobie and the White House, have not responded to multiple attempts to reach them by phone, email and social media, Bloomberg said. McCrobie also advised Bailey’s friends on GoFundMe to disregard interview requests from the media, Bloomberg reported.
“Per Crede’s wishes, please let the media tell their story without your input,” she wrote after Bloomberg first reported the story Monday.
The White House security office, led by Bailey, is responsible for vetting those with access to the White House complex, and his job entails working closely with the U.S. Secret Service to ensure the protection of the president.
He is known as one of Trump’s most loyal staff members, reports said.
In early October, Trump spent three days at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after testing positive for the coronavirus. After being treated with the antiviral drug Remdesivir and the steroid dexamethasone, Trump walked out of the hospital under his own strength and returned to the White House.
In the ensuing weeks, an outbreak at the White House became apparent as many others in Trump’s orbit tested positive for the virus, including first lady Melania Trump and son Barron, senior Trump advisers Stephen Miller and Hope Hicks, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, chief of staff Mark Meadows, adviser Kellyanne Conway, several campaign, military and communication aides, and housekeeping staff.
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