Dr. Fauci testifies in House hearing Monday morning
Jun 3, 2024, 9:32 AM | Updated: 11:13 am
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a news conference with the coronavirus task force at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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WASHINGTON — Former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Anthony Fauci, is testifying at a House hearing on the United States response to Covid-19.
According to CNN, Republican chair Brad Wenstrup opened the hearing with an apology to Fauci for threats he received during the pandemic.
“I do want to say, I’m sorry about the threats you have received,” he said during the hearing. “As someone who has been shot at and received threats as well, my heart goes out to you. This shouldn’t happen in America.”
However, Wenstrup also criticized some of the decisions Fauci made as he led the NIAID through the pandemic.
CNN reports Wenstrup said Fauci failed to “listen to science.”
“While policy and decisions should have been based on scientific data, some, frankly, were not,” Wenstrup said. “The burdensome six-foot social distancing rule did not have sufficient scientific report. In your words, ‘it just sort of appeared.’ Distancing made sense, but the six feet was arbitrary.”
Dr. Fauci was sworn into the hearing at around 8:40 a.m., according to CNN.
He began his testimony by refuting a claim that he used a personal email for business, CNN reports.
“Let me state for the record that to the best of my knowledge, I have never conducted business via my personal email,” Fauci said during the hearing.
This story is developing and will be updated as further information is made available.
