Republican Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs called for Dr. Anthony Fauci to be ousted from the White House’s coronavirus task force Monday.
The House Freedom Caucus chairman and defender of President Donald Trump told an Arizona radio show that it was time for Fauci to “move on.” (RELATED: FLASHBACK: Jan.21: Fauci Says Coronavirus ‘Not A Major Threat’ To U.S.)
“I think it’s time … for Dr. Fauci to move along,” Biggs said, according to Arizona Central. “I mean, he shouldn’t have a seat at the table. He shouldn’t be making decisions that are basically impacting this country in a way that we haven’t even considered.”
Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci listens during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on April 6, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Biggs added that Fauci “deserves some credit” for his response to the coronavirus, but said he does not believe Fauci understands the economic fallout the virus has caused. (RELATED: How The Coroanvirus Is Infecting Americans’ Civil Liberties)
“I mean, he has said he has not considered economic or societal or social fallout for his remedy for the epidemic. And if that’s the case, I think he gets some credit for where we stand today, but I think it’s time for him to move on,” Biggs said.
Fauci’s standing in the White House came under scrutiny over the weekend after the president retweeted a tweet from a supporter calling for the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to be fired. The White House denied that Trump was considering removing Fauci, and the doctor criticized the media’s coverage of his relationship with the president during a press briefing Monday.