‘It’s A Chump Move’: Fox Panel Torches Fauci For Claiming Attacks Against Him Are Attacks Against Science

A panel discussion on Fox News’ “The Five” got heated as several of the cohosts ripped into Dr. Anthony Fauci over comments he made on MSNBC.

Fauci told host Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press Daily” that political attacks against him — over changes in his position on certain issues relating to the coronavirus pandemic — were really attacks on science because he had only been following the science from the beginning. Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld, Dana Perino, Lisa Kennedy and Jessica Tarlov responded to Fauci’s claim. (RELATED: ‘You Have To Be Asleep Not To See That’: Fauci Claims Attacks On Him Are Really ‘Attacks On Science’)

WATCH:

Gutfeld appeared to be impressed by Fauci’s strategy, saying, “I love this strategy if you attack me, you’re attacking America, if you’re attacking Jesse, you’re attacking vanity.” (RELATED: ‘They Chose Impeachment Theater’: Greg Gutfeld Flames Media For Hosting Political Sideshow While ‘The Disease Exploded’)

“Even I thought that was funny,” Watters laughed.

“It’s such a great strategy … Grouchy Fauci is officially Bill Nye the Science Guy. He should just change his name to Mr. Science and end it there,” Gutfeld continued, arguing that Fauci was correct to say that science was constantly evolving and changing — and that new information sometimes meant changing recommendations or actions in response.

Gutfeld went on to say that the term “settled science” — which many Democrats use in relation to climate change — was essentially a nonsense phrase.

Tarlov argued that Fauci was a convenient villain around who Republicans could coalesce, but Perino pushed back, noting that Democrats had been critical of Fauci when he first began working on former President Donald Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force.

“The Republicans did not select Fauci to be a villain, he selected himself. The Republicans didn’t make him cover up the lab leak, that was Fauci,” Watters joined in. “And Greg is right, this is a brilliant deflection, brilliant deflection. The Democrats do this all the time. When Trump would go after someone, ‘Oh, Trump is going after women of color.’ No, he’s going after Omar for saying hateful things. ‘Trump is attacking the media!’ No, he is attacking Jim Acosta for being a jerk. That’s what they do, they assume this grand identity so they’re not accountable for the things they actually said. I like the sound of this though, if you’re attacking Gutfeld, you’re attacking comity. If you’re attacking Dana, you’re attacking women. See how easy it is? It’s easy to do, anybody can do it. Anybody can do it, but it’s a chump move. It’s like Epstein saying, ‘They’re locking me up because I’m Jewish.’ No, you’re a pedophile.”