While many of us were worried the man might work himself to exhaustion while helping the nation navigate this health crisis, it turns out he has to worry about crazies, too.
We can hear from the hoarseness of his voice that Dr. Fauci hasn’t been taking his foot off the gas while helping us engage in this crisis, and reacting to new information as it becomes available.
He’d be the first to admit that we didn’t have the full picture on the risk factors and possible scope of this illness at the outset — due in part to extremely incorrect information from WHO and also due to how secretive the Chinese government had been about their own experiences with the illness. (These two points may, in fact, be connected.)
As the picture comes into better focus, he has been helping us tweak our responses to the crisis. While not everyone shares his view of what — precisely — we should have done in response to the health crisis, most of us are grateful for the role he plays in advising the President.
Not everyone shares that view.
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-diseases expert and the face of the U.S. response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, is facing growing threats to his personal safety, prompting the government to step up his security, according to people familiar with the matter.
The concerns include threats as well as unwelcome communications from fervent admirers, according to people with knowledge of deliberations inside the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice.
…The exact nature of the threats against him was not clear. Greater exposure has led to more praise for the doctor but also more criticism.
…HHS asked the U.S. Marshals Service to deputize a group of agents in the office of the HHS inspector general to provide protective services for the doctor, according to an official with knowledge of the request.
The U.S. Marshals Service conveyed the request to the deputy attorney general, who has authority over deputations for the purpose of providing protective services, with the recommendation that it be approved, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reveal sensitive plans that the person was not authorized to discuss.
A Justice Department official signed paperwork Tuesday authorizing HHS to provide its own security detail to Fauci, according to an administration official.
An HHS spokesperson declined to discuss details of the doctor’s security but said: “Dr. Fauci is an integral part of the U.S. Government’s response against covid-19. Among other efforts, he is leading the development of a covid-19 vaccine and he regularly appears at White House press briefings and media interviews.” — TheHour
Seriously, people?
Can we cool it with the issuing of threats to public figures already?
