Dr Anthony Fauci could be heard calling a Republican senator a “moron” in a hot mic moment - and Twitter loved it.
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, made the remark following a heated exchange with Senator Roger Marshall.
During Tuesday’s hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions the senator questioned whether Fauci should have a publicly available financial disclosure form.
Confused, Fauci noted that such disclosures are public knowledge and added: “You are getting amazingly wrong information”.
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Marshall - who is sitting in front of a massive fake cheque - said his office couldn’t find them and asked where they could be viewed if they are public. Fauci replied: “It is totally accessible to you if you want it”.
Marshall asked: “To the public, is it accessible to the public?”
“To the public,” Fauci confirmed, to which Marshall responded: “Great we look forward to viewing it”.
An exacerbated-sounding Fauci can then be heard uttering: “What a moron”, before adding: “Jesus Christ”.
The exchange was seen as a breath of fresh air for many on Twitter, including Dr Jack Turban who remarked: “This truly captures how all of medicine is feeling right now.”
This truly captures how all of medicine is feeling right now https://t.co/icAJgru1Xa
— Jack Turban MD 🏳️🌈🧠 (@jack_turban) January 12, 2022
🔥🎤🏆
— Tara Haelle (@tarahaelle) January 12, 2022
And the award for Best Ever Hot Mic Moment goes to…
🔥🎤🏆 https://t.co/U63if3Wi3r
I couldn’t respect or adore him more, battling morons daily to try to keep us safe. https://t.co/2BlefoZNUt
— Jen Ford💜🇺🇸❄️🌊 (@jenscorpio83) January 12, 2022
Sometimes the hot mic is what we need. https://t.co/xVkS77kveG
— Peter Gleick 🇺🇸 (@PeterGleick) January 12, 2022
TRUTH.😎 https://t.co/XKwTtqeK9b
— Dena Grayson, MD, PhD (@DrDenaGrayson) January 11, 2022
Fauci is just following the science here. https://t.co/QCRhERbXaz
— Michelangelo Signorile (@MSignorile) January 12, 2022
More people in power need to make these public declarations about the morons in power. Thank you, Dr Fauci. 💖💪🏻 https://t.co/zzyyFOf9Gq
— Leah Torres, MD (@LeahNTorres) January 12, 2022
I hope the run on hot mic moments we are having is a permanent part of 2022. https://t.co/36KDTttKBi
— Dr Kirstin Ferguson (@kirstinferguson) January 12, 2022
Dr. Fauci is sick of everybody's sh*t right now. 😂😂😂 https://t.co/eb2GggXmk1
— THEE Lisa Modlin (@moveova) January 12, 2022
The quiet part many of us have wanted to say out loud at congressional hearings... https://t.co/zc1IB1I4Cs
— Prof Michael E. Mann (@MichaelEMann) January 12, 2022
I think we can all agree with Dr Fauci on this one, and about many other GOP Representatives and Senators. https://t.co/wdXkvtrxwo
— Jax Persists (@LadyJayPersists) January 12, 2022
Well, @RogerMarshallMD is a moron https://t.co/4w1Mg5mtC7
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) January 12, 2022
Fauci later doubled down on the comment in an MSNBC interview, remarking that it was “stunning” to him “that a United States senator doesn’t realise that my financial statement is public knowledge.”
He added: “It was just like where have you been?"
USA Today clarifies that as a public official, Fauci’s financial disclosure information is accessible via a Freedom of Information Act request.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, Marshall referred to Fauci as “the least trusted bureaucrat in America” and insisted the remark “didn’t take away from the facts”.
Er, okay…
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
During the same hearing, Fauci also contended with Senator Rand Paul as he accused the lawmaker of “distorting everything about me”, resorting to “personal attacks on me that have absolutely no relevance.”
But Fauci’s hot mic moment isn’t the only microphone blunder we’ve come across this week.
In Australia, leaked footage shows two news anchors giving their very honest opinion on tennis star Novak Djokovic…
