Critics and allies chime in after Fauci hearing
The Hill · C · trust 44/100
Former chief White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci’s ability to command public fixation is proving resilient this week as figures from media, sports and health all give their two scents on his recent Senate appearance.
Fauci effectively provided nothing to the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) on Wednesday when he adamantly refused to answer any questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights more than 100 times throughout the three-hour hearing.
The veteran government scientist has been retired from federal work for more than three years now, but still his presence on the Hill was enough to incur comments and criticism from across the public .
Private diary entries released soon before the hearing showed that Fauci seemed to enjoy some of the attention he received early on in the pandemic. After stepping down from government work, however, he would later lament on the threats of violence his family has faced.
Democratic political strategist James Carville spoke up in Fauci’s defense following the hearing, saying on a podcast, “The main thing we learned from the release of his personal texts or emails or whatever it was, is we didn’t f—ing learn anything.”
Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio took a jab at Fauci on Thursday during a press conference when asked whether Marcus Epps had the inside track on the starting safety job, saying, “I’m gonna be like Fauci and just take the Fifth Amendment on all questions.”
Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith lambasted Fauci’s decision to invoke the Fifth.
“As it strictly pertains to the coronavirus pandemic, my attitude is, with you being the face that you have been, you can’t show up on Capitol Hill and plead the Fifth 111 times,” Smith told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo.
Deborah Birx, former coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and a one-time colleague of Fauci’s, appeared to criticize Fauci’s refusal to answer any questions, saying in an interview that public health officials ” need to answer the questions that the senators have.”
HSGAC Chair Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said following the hearing that the “question of contempt will be voted on.”
Welcome to The Hill’s Healthcare newsletter , we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.
Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.
Stephen A. Smith on Fauci: ‘You can’t show up on Capitol Hill and plead the Fifth 111 times’
Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith said Thursday that former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci should have answered lawmakers’ questions during the hostile Senate hearing earlier this week instead of invoking his Fifth Amendment rights. Smith argued that Fauci owed the public an explanation after serving as the face of the nation’s COVID-19 response. “As it strictly pertains to the coronavirus pandemic, my attitude ...
Deborah Birx, the former coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said there is still “persistent anger” about the government’s COVID-19 response following former chief White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci’s Senate hearing Wednesday. Birx, in an interview on CBS News’s “The Takeout,” said the hearing showed frustration from Americans over “questions not being answered adequately” about the pandemic. She added ...
(NewsNation) — An outbreak of the disease-causing parasite cyclospora has infected thousands of Americans from coast to coast and has given rise to a dangerous trend called “cyclospora skinny.“ What began as a joke about the infection symptoms like weight loss and low appetite is now prompting warnings from health professionals. Dr. Dhaval Desai, pediatric physician and internal medicine doctor, joined NewsNation ...
Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio took a couple of shots at Dr. Anthony Fauci over his repeated use of the Fifth Amendment during a Senate hearing on Wednesday. “I’m gonna be like Fauci and just take the Fifth Amendment on all questions,” Fangio said, when a reporter asked whether Marcus Epps had the inside track on the starting safety job. “Did you guys see that? Oh my god,” Fangio added, grinning and shaking ...
You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!
Read the original at The Hill →
Open in TruthVane →