President Donald Trump has ended the federal security detail for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert who advised him on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fauci is the latest in a string of former Trump aides-turned-critics to see their federal protection canceled despite ongoing threats to their lives.

Speaking to reporters in North Carolina on Friday, Trump said he wouldn’t feel any responsibility if harm befell the former government officials. A person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, said that Fauci’s federal security detail was ended on Thursday and that he has since hired private security.

When asked about Fauci and former national security adviser John Bolton, Trump said, “They all made a lot of money. They can hire their own security, too.”

  • notsoshaihulud@lemmy.world
    17·
    2 days ago

    If anything happened to Fauci, they’d see a massive exodus from HHS and it would start a movement those gerontocrats needing doctors would not appreciate.

    • gramie@lemmy.ca
      17·
      2 days ago

      They all have money, they will feel no repercussions. They can buy the best Healthcare available, taking it away from others without a second thought.

      • notsoshaihulud@lemmy.world
        8·
        2 days ago

        It depends. Congress critters getting priority access to NIH/Walter Reed level care is one of those perks of being a politician. Of course, they can pay a lot for boutique medicine but I’d say, boutique medicine usually doesn’t provide the best care. And if they’d got to non-fed academic institutions, they’d get an earful about this fuckery.

        So believe it or not, it would impact people in congress quite directly.