Chief Medical Advisor to Joe Biden Dr. Anthony Fauci attacked Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) Sunday, mockingly asking of Cruz, “What happened January 6, Senator?”, in response to a question about Cruz calling for Fauci to be investigated for lying to Congress about NIH funding gain of function research on coronaviruses in Wuhan, China before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fauci appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation with host Margaret Brennan, laughing and smiling when questioned about Cruz. Fauci also said of critics like Cruz that to question him was to question science itself. Fauci, 80 years old, has since 1984 been the director of the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Biden appointed Fauci Chief Medical Advisor to the President upon taking office last January. Fauci has worked for the federal government since 1968 (with the exception of one year, 1971) and is reported to be the highest paid person in the federal government, making more than the president: $434,000 compared to $400,000.
Last month Cruz called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Fauci, “In May, Dr. Fauci said, “The NIH has not ever and does not now, fund gain-of-function research.” But early this month, the NIH contradicted that. It’s a crime to knowingly lie to Congress, so I asked AG Garland if he’d appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Fauci.”
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In May, Dr. Fauci said, “The NIH has not ever and does not now, fund gain-of-function research.”
But early this month, the NIH contradicted that.
It’s a crime to knowingly lie to Congress, so I asked AG Garland if he’d appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Fauci. pic.twitter.com/s01N0SbAws
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) October 27, 2021
Screen images of Fauci laughing and mocking Cruz on Face the Nation show an imperious career D.C. bureaucrat who sees himself as untouchable:
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Shorter clip:
.@margbrennan: “Sen. Cruz told the Attorney General you should be prosecuted.”
Dr. Fauci: [Laughs] I should be prosecuted? What happened on January 6th, senator? … That’s okay, I’m just gonna do my job. I’m gonna be saving lives, and [Republican lawmakers] are gonna be lying.” pic.twitter.com/8hbjgkhEeS
— The Recount (@therecount) November 28, 2021
Longer clip:
Lawmakers like Sens. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have called for Dr. Fauci to step down and be prosecuted over the course of COVID-19. Fauci scoffs at such threats, calling it “noise.”
“They’re really criticizing science because I represent science. That’s dangerous.” pic.twitter.com/zLzceD2DHe
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) November 28, 2021
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Transcript via Face the Nation (excerpt):
MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Cruz told the attorney general you should be prosecuted.
DR. FAUCI: Yeah. I have to laugh at that. I should be prosecuted? What happened on Jan. 6, senator?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you think that this is about making you a scapegoat to deflect–
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DR. FAUCI: Of course-
MARGARET BRENNAN: –From President Trump?
DR. FAUCI: Of course, you have to be asleep not to figure that one out.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, there are a lot of Republican senators taking aim at this. I mean–
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DR. FAUCI: That’s OK, I’m just going to do my job and I’m going to be saving lives and they’re going to be lying.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It just, it seems, another layer of danger to play politics around matters of life and death.
DR. FAUCI: Right, exactly. Exactly. And to me, that’s- that’s unbelievably bad because all I want to do is save people’s lives. That’s what I have done for the last 50 years, 40 of which was 37 of which was leading the institute. And when I see people who scattered around misinformation and lies that can actually endanger the lives of people, but also it is very easy to pick out an individual and make them a target because that’s what people can focus on. But you’re talking about systems, you’re talking about the CDC, you’re talking about the FDA, you’re talking about science in general. So if they want to- I mean, anybody who’s looking at this carefully realizes that there’s a distinct anti-science flavor to this. So if they get up and criticize science, nobody’s going to know what they’re talking about. But if they get up and really aim their bullets at Tony Fauci, well, people could recognize there’s a person there. There’s a face, there’s a voice you can recognize, you see him on television. So it’s easy to criticize, but they’re really criticizing science because I represent science. That’s dangerous. To me, that’s more dangerous than the slings and the arrows that get thrown at me. I’m not going to be around here forever, but science is going to be here forever. And if you damage science, you are doing something very detrimental to society long after I leave. And that’s what I worry about.
Fauci said in contrast to his critics that he will be saving lives: “I’m just going to do my job and I’m going to be saving lives and they’re going to be lying.”
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As of Sunday just under 800,000 Americans are listed as having died of/with COVID on Fauci’s watch as head of the nation’s infectious disease watchdog agency.
Source material can be found at this site.
