Dr. Anthony Fauci slammed the convicted Capitol rioter who was caught on camera making faces multiple times in the background during a congressional hearing on COVID-19 on Monday, criticizing him for appearing to testify just two weeks after being released from prison.
During the interview Monday night, Fauci was responding to the antics of Brandon Fellows, a chimney repairman from upstate New York, who was sitting directly behind the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as he testified before Congress about the death threats he received while overseeing the U.S. COVID-19 response.
“Why would a guy like that be at a COVID hearing?” Fauci said. CNN When asked about the presence of Fellows looming behind him.
Fellowes’ embarrassing behaviour caused an immediate uproar on social media and ultimately led to him being escorted out of the subcommittee hearing by security personnel.
As he was being taken away, Fellowes shouted that Fauci should be in jail, according to CNN.
Fauci acknowledged that he did not hear Fellows screaming, but said he was informed that the person sitting behind Fellows was “someone who had just been released from prison after being arrested in connection with the January 6th attack on the Capitol.”
Meanwhile, Fellowes boasted on social media shortly after the incident that “things are going well here in Washington.”
He quickly changed his Facebook cover photo to one of himself grimacing behind an infectious disease specialist.
“The Democrats are laughably insane!” he boasted.
“Today marks two weeks since I was released, which I think is fun. It doesn’t necessarily feel like an accomplishment, but these past two weeks have been quite an accomplishment and I’ve had a lot of fun.”
Fellows was sentenced to just over three years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
He was convicted of one felony and four misdemeanor counts of obstruction of justice after video showed him entering the Capitol through a broken window and then going to the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) to smoke marijuana.
Fellowes made headlines again after the incident, declaring that he had absolutely “no regrets” after his Bumble dating profile “blew up” due to his new-found notoriety.
