Dr. Anthony Fauci says he and his family been subjected to «violent and sexual explicit threats» since the COVID-19 pandemic, during which he spearheaded the federal government’s response.
Days after participating in a congressional hearing about the U.S.’ response to the disease, Fauci reacted to those calling for his prosecution and imprisonment, and threatening him and his loved ones.
«You know, obviously, you always take threats that people take seriously, but I, quite frankly, don’t know what they’re talking about,» he said on the Thursday, June 20 broadcast of The View. «What are the charges? That you saved millions of lives with the vaccine that you helped develop, or that you got people to do things that made them more safe against a deadly pandemic that killed 1.2 million people.»
«So if trying to save people’s lives is a crime, then I’m guilty,» Fauci, 83, said.
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Fauci served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly four decades and advised seven presidents.
When asked by co-host Sunny Hostin if he’s angry or fearful about the threats he and his family have received, he described it as a case of «mixed emotions.»
«The thing about it is this is what I’m doing, and it is what it is, and I wouldn’t do anything different. Of course, nobody likes to be threatened — and I’m threatened with real, credible threats. The thing that infuriates me is the cowardliness of people who harass my wife and my children,» he said.
«You know, three young women in the beginning of their professional life, getting harassed both for violent and sexual explicit threats. That’s unconscionable,» continued Fauci. «And is that a reflection of who we are in this country? What is that, I just don’t get that.»
Fauci and his wife, Christine Grady, share three daughters.
Fauci opened up about developing tough skin through his years in science and medicine while discussing his recently released memoir, On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service, with PEOPLE.
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«I joke about it, that Brooklyn tough suck-up-attitude that you focus on what your job is, and all that other stuff as unpleasant as it is, is a distraction. What’s really important is your job. Saving lives, promoting public health and your family,» he said. «Anything else is nonsense.»
