Will Republicans in positions of power ever get over their embarrassing egos? They sound so self-confident — and yet, there’s so often so little, in terms of substance, to what they’re saying. During a Senate hearing this Tuesday, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) questioned top health officials about issues supposedly related to the nation’s response to the pandemic, and it… didn’t go well, although if you’re someone as relentlessly self-assured as some of these GOP Senators, then you might think otherwise. Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health was caught in what was characterized as a hot mic moment describing Marshall as a “moron,” adding the succinct expression of frustration: “Jesus Christ.”
Dr. Fauci to Rand Paul: "I just want to say, I'm actually stunned by the amount of misinformation."
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 11, 2022
Fauci’s frustrations with Marshall stemmed from questions about the top health official’s finances. Marshall asked Fauci if he would be “willing to submit to Congress and the public a financial disclosure that includes your past and current investments.” The problem, Fauci explained, is that he’s long since publicly disclosed the sort of financial details that the Senator was referencing. As Fauci put it:
‘I don’t understand why you’re asking me that question. My financial disclosure is public knowledge and has been so for the last 37 years or so.’
Marshall asked where the financial disclosures could be found, and Fauci explained that “all you have to do is ask for it,” adding: “You’re so misinformed; it’s extraordinary.” Marshall subsequently suggested that even the appearance of the possibility of “shenanigans” — presumably relating to Fauci’s finances — was something to be concerned about, to which Fauci responded, in part: “What are you talking about?” After that point, Fauci could eventually be heard uttering, “What a moron. Jesus Christ.” Check out footage of that moment below or at this link:
HOT MIC MOMENT: After clashing with GOP Sen. Roger Marshall, Dr. Fauci was caught muttering, "what a moron," followed by "Jesus Christ." pic.twitter.com/merKU3BGAJ
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) January 11, 2022
Marshall didn’t exactly have reassuringly level-headed questions at other points of the hearing. To Dr. Rochelle Walensky — the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — he posed the following question, asking how she feels about being supposedly contradicted and undermined by fellow federal officials chiming in on important issues:
‘What’s making this situation worse are the officials leading our nation’s COVID response going on national television and contradicting each other…. Dr. Walensky, this past week, you recommended asymptomatic people be able to return to work after five days, but Dr. Fauci ambiguously corrected you on national television, and suggested folks needed to test before returning. How does that make you feel when Dr. Fauci or someone like Justice Sotomayor upstages a previous statement or policy of yours, blatantly contradicts and undermines your guidance, or offers false claims that cause more confusion for the American people?’
In response, Walensky broadly spoke about the fact that, as the pandemic has dragged on, the scientific understanding of the situation has fittingly changed, leading to what could be perceived as competing perspectives. Watch below:
"You're so misinformed, it's extraordinary … what are you talking about" — Fauci to Roger Marshall pic.twitter.com/mKsrUUfUdx
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 11, 2022
