A White House official has spent about three months in the hospital recovering from severe complications following a COVID-19 diagnosis, including the amputation of his right foot and lower leg, according to multiple sources.
Crede Bailey is the director of the White House security office and contracted COVID-19 in September. He was reportedly hospitalized shortly before the September 26 event at the White House officially nominating Justice Amy Coney Barrett, according to The Hill.
A friend told BloombergBailey’s family asked the White House not to publicize his condition, and President Donald Trump has not acknowledged Bailey’s illness.
Bailey’s friends have set up a GoFundMeaccount to help pay for the White House official’s and his family’s “medical and healing expenses necessary as a result of Crede's COVID-19 illness and the life-altering results.”
In an update posted on December 7, the fundraiser’s organizer, Dawn McCrobie posted a big update on Bailey’s condition.
“Crede has recently been released from the ICU and is now at a full-time rehabilitation center where he is focused on gaining strength and learning to live a new normal. 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,” the update reads.
McCrobie said Bailey will be fitted for a prosthetic leg in the next few months.
The fundraiser has gotten more than the $50,000 in donations they were originally seeking. In her updates, McCrobie says the money will be used not only for medical bills, but also to help renovate Bailey’s home to be more accessible for a wheelchair.
Bailey oversaw the security office, which handles credentialing for access to the White House and works with the Secret Service on security measures.