Politics

Longtime Biden Adviser Had Coronavirus At Time Of Death

No featured image available

A longtime confidante to Joe Biden who passed away suddenly last weekend had coronavirus at the time of his death, his family said in a statement on Friday.

“On Thursday night, we learned that my dad, Larry Rasky, tested positive for COVID-19,” Will Rasky said in a statement reported by the Boston Globe.

The younger Rasky said his father, who was 69 years old, had underlying health conditions at the time of his death.

“Our family, Larry’s colleagues, and others had already taken precautions in advance of learning the result, and we continue to follow all public health guidance,” he said.

Biden, who at the age of 78 is considered at high risk for coronavirus, has laid low for the past couple of weeks, giving interviews from the basement of his home in Delaware.

Biden has not appeared in public since a Democratic presidential debate with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on March 15.

Rasky, a longtime public relations executive, had advised Biden for more than 30 years, starting as press secretary for the then-senator’s 1988 presidential campaign.

He advised Biden during his 2008 presidential run. He formed the pro-Biden super PAC Unite the Country in October 2019.

The Biden campaign did not respond to questions about when the former vice president last met with Rasky. Federal campaign law prohibits candidates from coordinating with super PACs, though the laws are notoriously tough to enforce.