During testimony before the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Monday, Dr. Anthony Fauci was confronted with his own statements by Republican Congressman Rich McCormick. McCormick, a decorated emergency room doctor who treated patients throughout the pandemic, did not hesitate to hold Fauci accountable.
In a 2020 audiobook interview, Fauci dismissed opposition to vaccine mandates as “ideological bullsh*t” and suggested that making people’s lives difficult would compel them to comply with government mandates. “It’s been proven that when you make it difficult for people in their lives, they lose their ideological bullsh*t and get vaccinated,” Fauci said.
When presented with his own words, Fauci claimed he was taken out of context. However, McCormick, with his firsthand experience from the front lines of the pandemic, quickly rebutted. “In reference to making it hard for people to get education, traveling, working, I’d say it was very much in context,” McCormick shot back. “Dr. Fauci, you’ve become Dr. Fear.”
This testimony marked Fauci’s first since retiring from his role as the highest-paid bureaucrat in the federal government. Throughout the session, Fauci’s responses were riddled with evasive statements and inconsistencies, raising more questions than answers.
The hearing underscored growing calls for accountability. Some voices within the Republican caucus are even suggesting that Fauci be charged with perjury, highlighting the gravity of the situation and the intense scrutiny on his previous actions and statements during the pandemic.
