When Dr. Anthony Fauci resigned two years after an extraordinary career in public service, giving Barack Obama a decision a memorable statement. “I will always be grateful that we had a public health leader to guide us through a once-in-a-century pandemic,” the former Democratic president wrote. “Few people have impacted more lives than Dr. Fauci – and I’m glad he’s not done yet.”
Obama’s praise represented the sentiments of many Americans, who came to honor Fauci as a groundbreaking public health visionary who dedicated his life to helping others. Until recently, that view was entirely twofold.
But as Republican politics has radicalized, the right has come to see Fauci as a monstrous villain whom they are eager to attack.
Two years ago, Republican lawmakers said Fauci’s retirement would not stop them from going after him if Republicans gained a majority in the House of Representatives. A year later came Republican Representative Tim Burchett said regarding Fauci: “We need to shoot him right and charge him with a felony.”
It was against this backdrop that Fauci appeared before a congressional committee for another round of questions. NBC News reported:
Those watching the chilling display heard quite a few conspiracy theories, and more than a few strange complaints that had nothing to do with Covid or the pandemic, but those waiting for devastating information that would make Fauci look bad were left behind.
It wasn’t meant to be. Dana Milbank of The Washington Post explained that Republican members of this House panel have promised promising revelations about cover-ups and nefarious payoffs over the past year and a half. Yesterday’s hearing was the party’s chance to expose Fauci once and for all — except Republicans had nothing of note to share. From Milbank’s column:
And this is ultimately what mattered most at the hearing. Republicans in the House of Representatives have spent year ready for this high-profile event. They would finally expose Fauci. They would present their evidence and prove that their conspiracy theories were true. Conservative media and far-right activists would finally rejoice when the celebrated immunologist was taken down by Republican members who had done their homework.
But none of that happened. Republicans tried to drag Fauci through the coals, but he emerged unscathed — not because the committee’s Republican members struggled to make a coherent case, but because there was no case to make.
The Republicans’ “armament committee” was a dud. The party’s anti-Biden impeachment campaign was a failure. The GOP’s Jan. 6 committee was a dud. And now the GOP’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic has joined the pathetic parade, leaving Fauci unscathed.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
