Anthony Fauci on Marjorie Taylor Greene’s refusal to call him ‘doctor’: An ‘unusual performance’

Former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci criticized Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) for refusing to recognize him as a doctor, calling it an “extraordinary performance.”

“That’s why I’m still getting death threats, even with the extraordinary performance of Marjorie Taylor Greene at the hearing today,” Fauci told CNN anchor Caitlin Collins on Monday night.

Fauci, who had become the public face of the administration’s COVID-19 response as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified before the House Select Subcommittee on COVID-19 Oversight and Accountability on Monday for the first time since leaving office.

When questioning Fauci, Greene explicitly refused to acknowledge him as a doctor, instead referring to him as “Mr. Fauci.”

“Do you think that’s appropriate? Mr. Fauci, does that mean that the American people deserve to be insulted like that while I’m talking to you for a few minutes just because you’re ‘Mr. Fauci’ and not ‘Dr.’?” Greene said, adding, “No, I don’t need your answer.”

Greene’s comments drew sharp criticism from some Democrats, and the subcommittee’s chairman, Rep. Bran Wenstrup (R-Ohio), later rebuked Greene, saying, “This woman will stop telling Georgia Republicans to recognize Fauci as a doctor.”

Elsewhere in the hearing, Fauci grew emotional as he spoke about the harassment and death threats he and his family continue to receive after being the subject of criticism over the federal government’s response to the pandemic.

He told the subcommittee that he, his wife and their three daughters had been subjected to “harassment via emails, text messages and letters.”

Fauci told CNN that receiving death threats was a “pattern” for someone in his position, who often speaks publicly about policy.