Dick Durbin ‘99.9%’ sure grandchild had COVID-19, calls McConnell’s Trump defense ‘pathetic’

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Friday that one of his grandchildren likely had COVID-19 and called Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s assertion that Donald Trump could not focus on the impending coronavirus pandemic because of his Senate impeachment trial “pathetic.”

“We have some grandkids out in Brooklyn, New York and we think they have weathered that storm and are now fever free and have turned the corner,” Durbin said while taping the WLS-AM radio show “Connected to Chicago with Bill Cameron.”

“There were some anxious moments there and I am sure a lot of families are going through that.”

Durbin’s grandchild — he did not mention the age or gender of the youth — was not tested.

“In New York, there were so many cases coming at once that the doctor basically told the family, I believe, I am 99% sure, it is coronavirus but don’t go into the emergency room for tests, they are just overwhelmed with some very sick people and it’s not a good place for a child to be in anyway,” Durbin said.

Asked if Trump was a reliable source of information, Durbin said, “No. He says things that are contradicted over and over again on a daily basis.”

Asked about the statement made by McConnell defending the president, Durbin said, “I have one word for that. Pathetic. Pathetic. To think that that a one week so-called trial somehow diverted this president from dealing with this international global health crisis and its threat to the United States is pathetic.”

The Senate acquitted Trump after his February impeachment trial.