Throughout the coronavirus pandemic there has been one figure who's frustrated conservatives like no other and that’s Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. The only thing the highest paid federal employee has been consistent about is being wrong. From mask-wearing, to the threat of the coronavirus, to social distancing, school closures, T-cell immunity, and double masking, he’s flip-flopped on so many issues it’s hard to keep track.
So while the left engages in idol worship of the man, many of those on the right have become vocal critics, like Sens. Marco Rubio and Rand Paul. Fox News’s Tucker Carlson has questioned why people are listening to him at all anymore, referring to Fauci as a “malignant buffoon.” Some in the medical field are also growing frustrated with Fauci, like Dr. Marty Makary, a prominent Johns Hopkins University doctor, who has criticized him for his beliefs about when the U.S. will reach herd immunity.
And yet, despite all this, Sen. Mitch McConnell still appears to hold him in high regard.
Speaking with reporters on Monday, the minority leader was asked if he continued to have “confidence” in the NIAID director.
“I think he’s the principal person we’ve relied on for the last couple of years. That’s become somewhat controversial, I gather, but we have to take advice from somebody, and for myself, looking at his history and background, he’s the most reliable witness I’ve seen,” McConnell said.
Minority Leader McConnell expresses confidence in Dr. Fauci: "I think he's the principal person we've relied on the last couple of years, that's become somewhat controversial, I gather. But, we have to take advice from somebody and...he's the most reliable witness I've seen." pic.twitter.com/wZvoDJCvZ1
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 5, 2021