Top Line
Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday blamed a “political stunt” by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and other right-wing figures for a spike in death threats against him and his family, hours after the government’s former top infectious disease expert appeared at a controversial congressional hearing on the origins of COVID-19.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, … [+]
Key Facts
In an interview with CNN, Fauci said that whenever someone in the media or Congress makes a public statement blaming their policies for a certain number of deaths, or spreads a conspiracy theory that they created the virus, “like clockwork, the number of death threats skyrockets.”
An infectious disease expert called the series of events a “pattern” and said, “Performances like that extraordinary performance by Marjorie Taylor Greene at today’s hearing will increase death threats because there is a segment of the public that believes such nonsense.”
Fauci said the contentious hearing should have been focused on “how can we do it better the next time we’re faced with a pandemic,” adding that if mistakes were made they should be identified and “try to correct them for the future.”
Fauci pointed to Greene’s attacks on him, saying, “That’s not what we saw today…Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with trying to do better.”
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Important Quotes
“It’s a pattern… whenever somebody stands up, whether it’s a news outlet like Fox News or somebody in Congress stands up and makes a public statement that they’re responsible for any number of deaths because of their policies or because of this wild idea that they created the virus, then, like clockwork, the death threats skyrocket,” Fauci said.
Key Facts
The interview aired just hours after Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, faced a contentious hearing in Congress on the origins of COVID-19. During the hearing, Greene repeatedly refused to call Fauci “Doctor.” The right-wing congresswoman told the infectious disease expert, “You’re not a doctor, and after I speak to you for a few minutes you become Mr. Fauci,” and said he should be in jail for “crimes against humanity.” Greene then accused Fauci and government agencies of “fabricating guidelines like keeping six feet apart and wearing masks for children.” The Georgia congresswoman received pushback from her party member and chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), who instructed her to call Fauci “Doctor” and follow the committee’s decorum.
References
Marjorie Taylor Greene Refuses to Call Fauci ‘Doctor’, GOP Senators Criticize (Forbes)
Fauci says he still receives death threats because of political “performances” like Marjorie Taylor Greene’s at a COVID-19 hearing (CNN)
