President Donald Trump’s special adviser on the coronavirus pandemic Dr. Scott Atlas has resigned.
In a resignation letter addressed to Trump on Dec. 1, Atlas wrote, “I am writing to resign from my position as special adviser to the president of the United States.”
He added in the letter shared on Twitter Monday, “I thank you for the honor and privilege to serve on behalf of the American people since August, during these difficult months for our nation.”
Atlas was serving a 130-day detail.
He also said he wished “the new team all the best” — referring to the incoming Biden administration — “as they guide the nation through these trying, polarized times.”
Atlas has been a controversial figure, including when he previously suggested face masks do not work in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
See his full resignation letter below:
https://twitter.com/ScottWAtlas/status/1333574072756682752
Atlas does not have any background in infectious diseases, NBC News reports. He joined the coronavirus task force in August.
In an interview with The Washington Post in late-October, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said of Atlas, “I have real problems with that guy.”
“He’s a smart guy who’s talking about things that I believe he doesn’t have any real insight or knowledge or experience in. He keeps talking about things that when you dissect it out and parse it out, it doesn’t make any sense,” Fauci said.
Atlas pushed back at the time, tweeting in response, “#Insecurity #EmbarrassingHimself #Exposed #CantThrowABall #NoTimeForPolitics.”
White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere also criticized Fauci for his remarks regarding Atlas and the Trump administration, “It’s unacceptable and breaking with all norms for Dr. Fauci, a senior member of the President’s Coronavirus Taskforce and someone who has praised President (Donald) Trump’s actions throughout this pandemic, to choose three days before an election to play politics,” Deere told CNN.
Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx reportedly did not like Atlas’ input in the coronavirus task force meetings when he attended, as NBC News reports.
Additionally, Dr. Robert Redfield, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), previously reportedly said of Atlas, “Everything he says is false.”
In defense, Atlas previously told Fox News, “I am here because I understand how to translate complex medical science into plain English for the president of the United States and for everyone else in the White House, and derive appropriate public policy from that information.”