'National embarrassment': Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Fauci attack 'crazy and irresponsible'

03 June 2024

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci during the Republican House’s hearing on the coronavirus pandemic Monday, refused to call him “Dr.,” and promoted lies and conspiracy theories forcing Democrats to denounce her remarks as “crazy and irresponsible,” and demand they be stricken from the record.

Dr. Fauci was the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, from 1984 until the end of 2022. In both the Trump and Biden administrations he became the public face of the battle against the pandemic.

But he also became the target of the right and the far-right during COVID, with Congresswoman Greene frequently leading the charge against what she labeled Monday as “your so-called science.”

The Georgia Congresswoman “screamed and raged at Fauci at a hearing of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic,” The Independent reported. “Republicans have sought to prove that Fauci tried to suppress information about the origins of Covid-19 and claim he funded research that triggered pandemic that killed millions of people.”

“We should be recommending you to be prosecuted,” Greene also said during the hearing. “We should be writing a criminal referral because you should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity. You belong in prison.”

But he also became the target of the right and the far-right during COVID, with Congresswoman Greene frequently leading the charge against what she labeled Monday as “your so-called science.”

Apologizing to Dr. Fauci, U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-FL) blasted Congresswoman Greene, declaring her remarks “completely irresponsible” while saying, “this might be the most insane hearing I’ve actually attended.”

“Your ‘so-called science’ that the gentlewoman is referring to has saved millions of lives in this country and around the world. And I want to thank you for that.” He called Fauci “an American hero,” whose “team has done more to save lives than all 435 members of this body on both sides of the aisle.”

“You guys have worked not just during this pandemic, but over time to save millions of lives in this country and across the world. We lost 1.1 million American lives, 1.1 million American lives, 7 million lives around the world,” Garcia said. “We were having 9-11-like-events death events daily in this country losing 4000 to 5000 people every single day. I was mayor during the time of the pandemic. I remember how painful it was to close businesses to shut down schools.”

“But how quickly we forget the pain and how scared we were as a country. We were washing our groceries as they were coming in. We were keeping seniors at a distance – the tragedy that was happening in our nursing homes, thousands of people were dying a day. And you and your team of the best and the brightest scientists in this country, and the world were doing everything that you could, and working night and day to save more and more of those lives.”

Congressman Garcia explained how he lost both his parents in the COVID pandemic, explaining, “I take this very personally, especially when other members of this body who are tasked to be responsible and actually help the American people attack medical professionals like you and across the world. Vaccines – a vaccine that you and your team helped foster – has saved millions of American lives. These attacks are ridiculous.”

He also pointed out the Rep. Greene had “introduced the ‘Fire Fauci Act’ and promoted on a podcast, saying that COVID was a bio weapon. That is how insane some of these comments are.”

Garcia also quoted Greene saying: “I don’t believe in evolution. These viruses were not making people sick until they created them. They weaponize these viruses to be able to attach to our cells and make us sick. It’s a bio weapon.”

He also quoted Greene from a social media post: “The Fauci-funded Wuhan lab created the virus,” and called her remarks, “crazy and irresponsible.”

“In this post,” Garcia continued, “the same member of this committee is accusing you of orchestrating a global conspiracy to create COVID on purpose just to make people get vaccines that you’ve done the sir. The same member routinely promotes complete misinformation about vaccines, and actually has encouraged the routine prevention of vaccinations that even eliminate diseases like the measles. Dr. Fauci, you brought together our nation and world’s best and brightest scientists take on COVID and create a vaccine that works. I want to ask you a question. I want to be crystal clear for the public. You brought together the world and America’s best scientists. Do you believe that the vaccine that you all helped create and ensure is safe and effective for the public?” he asked Fauci.

“Yes, and its track record has proven that,” the doctor replied.

“And you also agree that it saved hundreds of thousands and possibly millions of lives in America and across the world?” Garcia continued.

“That is absolutely correct,” Fauci said. “And it’s very clear that it saved millions of lives here and throughout the world. The Europeans have done the same studies that we have. And the data are incontrovertible that they save lives.”

On social media after the hearing, Rep. Garcia wrote: “Totally insane that Marjorie Taylor Greene would not refer to Dr. Fauci as a doctor. He’s one of the most brilliant medical minds in the country. She’s a national embarrassment.”

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