Dr Anthony Fauci conveyed his perplexment with the presence of a defendant making weird faces in the background of his testimony to Congress on Monday. Fauci was going head-to-head with Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene. Greene told the director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases that he was ‘not a doctor’ and ‘belonged in prison’ during fierce questioning.
Fauci gave an interview on Monday Night about this incident. The interviewer asked him about the mystery an behind him, who was making weird faces during his testimony. Fauci said that he recently got to know about the identity of the man who was behind him. He said that the presence of that man at the trail was baffling for him.
More about the Mystery Man
It came to light that the mystery man was Brandon Fellows. He is a pro-MAGA rioter (MAGA stands for Make America Great Again, A movement by far-right activists). Fellows also smoked weed in Senator Jeff Merkley’s office during the insurrection. Fellows got free from his confinement on May 20 after completing 42 months in prison. Kaitlin Collins, CNN host, claimed that Fellows shouted in agreement when Greene said that Fauci belonged in prison.
Greene’s Attacks
Greene attacked Fauci by stating that his ‘repulsive, evil science’, led to school children having to endure class with masks. She also accused him of abusing puppies with his testing. She also shunned Fauci for breaking social distancing guidelines during the COVID times as he sat close to two colleagues in an image that she showed. Greene attacked Fauci as she stated that he is not a true doctor and his license should be revoked. Further, she said that Fauci belongs in prison, behind the bars.
Fauci’s Testimony detailing COVID-19 Origins:
In his testimony he also addressed the issues that were concerning him about the origin of virus that led to the COVID-19 pandemic. He testified that in early 2020, two notable scientists informed him that they and others were concerned that virus maybe engineered or manipulated in the lab. They held discussions of this possibility with several international virologists and also, he did not try to steer the discussion in any direction. He further added, that after the virologists examined the genomic sequence, they came to a conclusion that it was not a manipulated virus. They agreed upon a scenario that it was ‘animal to human transmission’. Fauci also stated that they still kept an open mind. He stated that the accusations made about him influencing the scientists to change their mind by bribing them with grant money were totally false.
Fauci testifies about the threats he received
Fauci’s testimony made headlines throughout Monday, mostly because of his head-to-head arguments with pro-MAGA representative Greene. Fauci was questioned over his pandemic strategies and the origins of COVID. Fauci got emotional when he provided details about death threats against him and his children. He also stated that the tax dollars were not used for funding risky research in China and he never used his personal email of legitimate official business. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., asked Fauci about the personal toll that he incurred while on his post in the Whitehouse Coronavirus Taskforce. His statement of reply was: “Myself, my three daughters, they have had credible death threats, leading to the arrests of different individuals.’ He explained that Credible Death threats meant that someone was actually on their way to killing. He stated how troublesome it was for him, further mentioning that the threats even involved his wife.
