An MSNBC analyst is suggesting that Republicans are attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci because they fear that if Americans follow his advice, the COVID-19 pandemic would end, and it would be “bad” for their political prospects.
During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Thursday, analyst John Heilemann claimed, “If people follow Fauci, there’s a likelier chance that Covid will go away.”
“And if Covid goes away, it’s bad for Republicans. The political math on this, it’s not hard to figure out,” he added.
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MSNBC’s Heilemann: Republicans trash Fauci because they don’t want Covid to go away.
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) December 2, 2021
“If people follow Fauci, there’s a likelier chance that Covid will go away. And if Covid goes away, it ’s bad for Republicans. The political math on this, it's not hard to figure out.” pic.twitter.com/1mbWygeXQS
Fauci was asked about attacks on him during an interview with CBS News.
“All I want to do is save peoples’ lives. I mean, anybody who’s looking at this carefully realizes that there’s a distinct anti-science flavor to this. So if they get up and criticize science, nobody’s going to know what they’re talking about. But if they get up and really aim their bullets at Tony Fauci, well, people can recognize there’s a person there,” he said.
He added, “It’s easy to criticize. But they’re really criticizing science because I represent science. That’s dangerous. To me, that’s more dangerous than the slings and the arrows that get thrown at me. And if you damage science, you a doing something very detrimental to society long after I leave.”
Some Fox News personalities have attacked the infectious disease expert as well. Tucker Carlson said, “Fauci has morphed into an even shorter version of Benito Mussolini.”
“Clearly, something deep inside Tony Fauci has changed. The man now believes he’s a deity accountable to no one,” he added.
Meanwhile, Lara Logan, a host on Fox’s streaming service, compared Fauci to a Nazi doctor “because [of] the response from COVID, what it has done to countries everywhere, what it has done to civil liberties, the suicide rates, the poverty, it has obliterated economies.”