Jason Chaffetz calls for Dr. Fauci to be ‘fired’
Fox News ‘Outnumbered’ weighs in on critics questioning the timing of new CDC guidelines.
Chief medical advisor to the president Dr. Anthony Fauci needs to be "fired," Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz said on Monday.
"They’ve lost all of their credibility and when there really is something to be listened to, I don’t think people are going to listen to them," Chaffetz told Fox News "Outnumbered." Adding that Fauci is "more interested in doing media relations than looking at the actual science."
"I think this administration should fire Dr. Fauci. I don’t think people have trust and belief in him. I think his time has come and gone," Chaffetz said.
FAUCI DEFENDS CDC'S ROUNDABOUT ON MASK MANDATES AMID CONFUSION FROM NEW GUIDANCE
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, defended a decision this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lift its mask mandate for people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, despite the confusion it caused state and local health officials.
The agency updated its guidance on Thursday, saying it's safe for fully vaccinated Americans to forgo social distancing and go most places – indoor or outdoor – without a mask, bringing to end more than a year of mandatory face coverings in most parts of the country. But some states, including Hawaii and Massachusetts, have insisted they will keep their mask mandates in place.
"The underlying reason for the CDC doing this was just based on the evolution of the science," Fauci said during an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation." "But if in fact, this serves as an incentive for people to get vaccinated, all the better. I hope it does, actually."
But the agency drew a sharp rebuke for its roundabout on the matter of face coverings; less than two months ago, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky warned of "impending doom" as COVID-19 cases began to rise again.
Chaffetz also said the Biden administration needs to review the mask mandates in schools.
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"I don’t understand why there is a mask mandate in schools and kids can’t go back to class," Chaffetz said.
Chaffetz went on to say, "And take the mask off three-year-olds getting on the airplane for goodness sake. There was never a good reason to do that. They keep telling us that the air in the airplane is the cleanest air on the planet and yet everyone has to wear a mask. It is ridiculous. They have lost control of this and it is time for them to just be reasonable."
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