Brittany Bernstein writes at National Review Online about the latest dubious claim from the face of government’s COVID-19 response.
Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday dismissed concerns that he is a polarizing figure, saying he merely speaks truths that may be “inconvenient for some people,” causing them to lash out.
Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace noted that Fauci was “generally regarded as the authority on infectious diseases” when the COVID-19 pandemic began but that as time has gone on, he has become a polarizing figure.
He added that critics accuse Fauci of having sent mixed signals on public-health issues and also of helping fund dangerous research at the Wuhan lab before asking Fauci why he believes he’s become “so controversial” and asked if Fauci had done anything to contribute to that. …
… “I have stood for always making science, data and evidence be what we guide ourselves by and I think people who feel differently, who have conspiracy theories, who deny reality that’s looking them straight in the eye, those are people that don’t particularly care for me.” …
… Fauci has been criticized for repeated flip-flopping on his support for vaccine mandates and the effectiveness of masks. Earlier this month, he said it was too soon to tell whether families would be able to gather for the holidays this year, regardless of vaccination status. However, he quickly reversed course, saying he encourages people to have a “good, normal Christmas with your family.”
He has also advocated mask-wearing in schools despite concerns that long-term mask-wearing can cause physical and developmental issues in children and that there is little evidence to support a mandate.
Fauci faced calls t0 resign by many Republicans earlier this year after thousands of his emails were released through a Freedom of Information Act filing. The emails show Fauci’s early dismissals of the theory that COVID-19 leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China. They also show that Fauci brushed off a message warning of Chinese disinformation regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
