Mehmet Oz, the host of "The Dr. Oz Show" who is now running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, said in a recent interview that he believes Anthony Fauci should lose his job as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
"Dr. Anthony Fauci has lost the faith and confidence of the American people," Oz told the New York Post. "It’s time for a new face talking to the American people, one that is more trusted."
"I believe Anthony Fauci should be held accountable for misleading, whether willfully or unintentionally, the American public and the United States Congress," he continued.
Oz announced last week that he would be running for Senate in Pennsylvania as a Republican, looking to replace retiring GOP incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey.
Fauci has faced heavy scrutiny by Republicans after telling Congress earlier this year that the National Institutes of Health, the parent organization of the NIAID, had not funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, where COVID-19 originated, in a statement that the NIH later corrected.
A number of Republicans, including Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) and Sen. Rand Paul (KY), have demanded that Fauci, who also serves as the White House chief medical advisor, be prosecuted for lying to Congress.
Oz also told The Post that he believes the Black Lives Matter organization is taking the wrong approach in its efforts to help black communities.
"I do not support the actions being taken by the Black Lives Matter organization and its leadership. BLM has the wrong approach at every level," Oz said, adding the movement had "incit[ed] violence and property destruction."
"While our Constitution protects the right to peaceably assemble, anything that involves rioting, looting, or destruction needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," he said. "We need to support law enforcement and provide them with the tools and resources they need to do their job of keeping our communities safe – including keeping dangerous criminals off the street."
Oz further noted his opposition to the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools, saying that the controversial doctrine has a negative impact on race relations in America.
"We should not be teaching or telling students that America is inherently racist. We are stronger as a country when we stand together – not divided on racial lines," he said.