Acting CDC director says Fauci "abused the place of power" during pandemic

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has accused Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), of abusing his position of power during the COVID-19 pandemic. "He frankly abused the place of power that he had been given both by the media and by powerful politicians," Bhattacharya told CBS News.

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He frankly abused the place of power that he had been given both by the media and by powerful politicians.

Bhattacharya alleged that Fauci's "primary abuse" involved "shutting down scientific debate" and "denigrating scientists that disagreed with him, including myself and many, many others, simply for the sin of disagreeing with him." Bhattacharya, then a Stanford University professor, was publicly critical of the federal government's pandemic response, including lockdowns and mask mandates.

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shut down scientific debate

During the pandemic, Fauci led the NIAID, a research institute, but Bhattacharya contends he acted as if he were the head of public health. "You know, he was the head of a research institute, he wasn't the head of public health, yet he acted as if he were the head of public health in this country," Bhattacharya said. He stressed the imperative for Fauci to clearly convey what is known and unknown, and not overstep his expertise.

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denigrated scientists that disagreed with him, including myself and many, many others, simply for the sin of disagreeing with him.

These accusations surfaced shortly after Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment rights before a Senate committee, stating he did so because Senator Rand Paul sought to elicit statements that would vindicate Paul's claims of Fauci ending up "behind bars." Over the weekend, Paul released over 1,000 pages of Fauci's diary entries from his time as NIAID director. Bhattacharya supported the release, noting the entries' potential public interest due to Fauci's significant impact on global lives.

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You know, he was the head of a research institute, he wasn't the head of public health, yet he acted as if he were the head of public health in this country.