Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus special force, defended himself on charges of hypocrisy on Friday after he was seen without wearing a mask or social distancing while watching baseball.
Fauci wore his mask to his chin in multiple images from Nationals Park Stadium on Thursday after he released the first pitch for the Yankees-Nationals game. The infectious disease expert, celebrated by critics of President Trump for his willingness to criticize the United States’ pandemic response, was seen side by side between two people in the nearly empty stadium.
But Fauci dismissed criticism of social media as “mischievous” in a Fox News interview.
“I had my mask around my chin. She had removed it. I was totally dehydrated and I was drinking water, trying to rehydrate me, “Fauci insisted. “And by the way, I had a negative COVID literally the day before. So I guess people want to have a great event. I wear a mask all the time when I’m outside. I suppose if people want to do something about it they can just pull it down to take a few sips of water and get it back on. But to me, I think that’s just naughty.
In one image, Fauci was seen with his mask on his chin smiling at a friend to his right. In another image, Fauci stared straight ahead, watching the game, empty-handed pointing towards the field.
Fauci’s maskless show drew criticism from people who see him as eager to impose rules on others.
“Fauci is only giving us a preview of life under a Biden Administration: they will never submit to the rules they impose on ‘little people,'” Laura Ingraham, anchor for Fox News, tweeted.
Podcast host Wayne Dupree wrote: “Americans demand to know why Dr. Fauci does not have to socially distance himself or wear a mask after a damning photo appears.”
In a separate interview, Fauci defended his early pandemic advice Friday that people don’t wear masks.
“It is very interesting when you use the word ‘error’,” Fauci told the Washington Post. “You look at the data, you look at the evidence and you make a recommendation or a policy. When the information changes and you change what you say, it is because you want to follow the evidence in the data. And that is the correct thing. So do you call it a mistake? Back then, back then, it wasn’t a mistake. “
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