GOP Doctor Caucus Demands Fauci Apologize for Calling Senator a ‘Moron’

The GOP Doctor Caucus on Tuesday sent a letter to Dr. Anthony Fauci, demanding he publicly apologize for calling Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) a “moron” during last week’s Senate Health Committee hearing, which saw Marshall pressing the White House coronavirus adviser about his financial disclosures.

Fauci, who is reportedly the highest-paid employee in the U.S. federal government, became visibly testy after Marshall questioned his finances. 

“I don’t understand why you’re asking me that question,” Fauci said, claiming his financial disclosures were made public, although Marshall contended “big tech giants” were hiding Fauci’s finances. The Republican senator also noted that his office could not locate Fauci’s financial disclosures.

“Why am I misinformed? This is a huge issue,” Marshall said. Eventually, a hot mic caught Fauci saying, “What a moron. Jesus Christ.”

Senate HELP Committee

 

Marshall later sent Fauci an official letter demanding copies of his financial disclosures:

Calling me a moron during a Senate hearing may have alleviated the stress of the least trusted bureaucrat in America, but it didn’t take away from the facts. We need the truth Dr. Fauci! pic.twitter.com/GyfdppfNgn

— Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) January 11, 2022

As Fox News noted:

While Fauci’s financial disclosures are technically open to any member of the public who requests them, the records are not listed in an easily-accessible public database, and it can take months for a request to be fulfilled.

“As health care providers we understand that this pandemic has put a strain on everyone, especially medical personnel,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter, adding, “A physician, especially in a national leadership position, who doesn’t respect diversity — which includes diversity of opinion — reflects poorly on our entire profession.”

While lawmakers acknowledged that congressional hearings “can sometimes be challenging,” they called out Fauci’s behavior, calling it “extremely unprofessional and uncalled for.” 

“Dr. Marshall is a highly qualified physician and highly respected,” they wrote, adding, “Physician colleagues, even when they do not agree, should not stoop to calling another colleague a juvenile name.”

The GOP doctor added that Fauci’s behavior ultimately “undermines the trust that Americans have in physicians.”

“We, as members of the GOP Doctors Caucus, are calling for you to make a public apology to Dr. Marshall for your unprofessional comment,” they wrote, adding that the divisiveness should “not come from an individual who was selected to lead this nation’s pandemic efforts.”