Washington, December 7 (RHC)-- U.S. President Donald Trump has tweeted that Rudy Giulani, his personal lawyer who has been leading legal efforts to overturn his election defeat last month to Joe Biden, has tested positive for coronavirus.

Trump’s tweet on Sunday did not specify when the 76-year-old Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, was diagnosed with COVID-19.  Further details of Giuliani’s condition were not immediately released.

The president said Giuliani “has been working tirelessly exposing the most corrupt election (by far!) in the history of the USA."   “Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on,” he added.

Giuliani is the latest ally of Trump to test positive for the coronavirus.  The president himself, who has approached pandemic restrictions and mask wearing with scepticism, had contracted and recovered from COVID-19 in October.

The United States, the world’s hardest-hit country, is currently experiencing a new surge in coronavirus cases that threaten to overwhelm healthcare systems as it enters its colder months.  To date, more than 14.3 million infections have been confirmed in the US, with the number of related deaths exceeding 228,000.

Giuliani was also central to attempts to dig up dirt on Biden in Ukraine, which involved an alleged pressure campaign by Trump that was central to impeachment proceedings against the president.