Dr. Anthony Fauci responded to the increasing criticism of his approach to the COVID-19 pandemic and his reluctance to think the virus could have leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology until very recently.
According to Fauci, attacks on him aren't really about him, but attacks on science itself.
NBC News host Chuck Todd asked about his concern with trying to "discredit public health officials."
"It’s very dangerous, Chuck, because a lot of what you’re seeing as attacks on me quite frankly are attacks on science because all of the things that I have spoken about consistently from the very beginning have been fundamentally based on science," Fauci said.
"Sometimes those things were inconvenient truths for people and there was push back against me so if you are trying to, you know, get at me as a public health official and scientist, you’re really attacking not only Dr. Anthony Fauci, you’re attacking science and anybody that looks at what is going on clearly sees that. You have to be asleep not to see that. That is what is going on. Science and the truth are being attacked," he added.
FAUCI: "If you are trying to get at me as a public health official and a scientist, you're really attacking not only Dr. Anthony Fauci, you are attacking science." pic.twitter.com/MwZSv2nxbL
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 9, 2021
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has been taking a victory lap following the release of Fauci's email through a Freedom of Information Act request, especially with regard to Fauci's denial about the United States' role in gain of function research with viruses.
ICYMI I discussed the deception of Dr. Fauci with Sean Hannity on @FoxNews https://t.co/lM02ITDmQj
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) June 6, 2021