{"id":390365,"date":"2021-04-05T20:58:23","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T00:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=390365"},"modified":"2021-04-05T20:58:25","modified_gmt":"2021-04-06T00:58:25","slug":"mitch-mcconnell-defends-dr-fauci-the-most-reliable-witness-ive-seen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mitch-mcconnell-defends-dr-fauci-the-most-reliable-witness-ive-seen\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitch McConnell Defends Dr. Fauci: \u2018The Most Reliable Witness I\u2019ve Seen\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmitch-mcconnell-defends-dr-fauci-the-most-reliable-witness-ive-seen%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=390365&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-365.jpeg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>In a departure from the GOP\u2019s largely critical rhetoric about Dr. Anthony Fauci, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) defended the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, hailing him a \u201creliable witness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Speaking with reporters on Monday, the Senator was asked if he still had \u201cconfidence in\u201d Fauci\u2019s abilities as head of the COVID-19 effort.<\/p>\n<p><b>\u201c<\/b>Do you still have confidence in Dr. Fauci as you said several months ago?\u201d the reporter asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he\u2019s the principal person we\u2019ve relied on for the last couple of years. That\u2019s become somewhat controversial, I gather, but we have to take advice from somebody, and for myself, looking at his history and background, he\u2019s the most reliable witness I\u2019ve seen,\u201d McConnell responded.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"12.453257790368\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Minority Leader McConnell expresses confidence in Dr. Fauci: &#8220;I think he&#8217;s the principal person we&#8217;ve relied on the last couple of years, that&#8217;s become somewhat controversial, I gather. But, we have to take advice from somebody and\u2026he&#8217;s the most reliable witness I&#8217;ve seen.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wZvoDJCvZ1\">pic.twitter.com\/wZvoDJCvZ1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ABCPolitics\/status\/1379099213045334023?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 5, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>McConnell\u2019s \u201cconfidence\u201d in Dr. Fauci is markedly different from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)\u2019s assessment of Fauci; Paul has actively criticized the expert both publicly and to his face. In March, for instance, Paul accused Fauci of partaking in mask-wearing theater after having received the highly effective vaccine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGiven that no scientific studies have shown significant numbers of reinfections of patients previously infected or previously vaccinated, what specific studies do you cite to argue the public should be wearing masks well into 2022?\u201d asked Paul during a Senate hearing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure I understand the connection of what you\u2019re saying about masks and reinfection,\u201d Fauci replied. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about people who have never been infected before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re telling everybody to wear a mask whether they\u2019ve had an infection or a vaccine,\u201d Paul interjected. \u201cWhat I\u2019m saying is they have immunity and everybody agrees they have immunity. What studies do you have that people that\u2019ve had the vaccine or had the infection are spreading the infection? If we\u2019re not spreading the infection, isn\u2019t it just theater?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, it\u2019s not,\u201d Fauci shot back.<\/p>\n<p>After Fauci argued that his position on masks is about \u201cvariants,\u201d Paul asked him to cite a single study in the United States showing reinfection and hospitalization after vaccination; Fauci could not cite one. Paul, a physician, concluded that mask-wearing after vaccination was simple theater:<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"10\">\n<p><em>You\u2019ve been vaccinated and you parade around in two masks for show. You can\u2019t get it again. There\u2019s virtually 0% chance you\u2019re gonna get it, and yet you\u2019re telling people that have had the vaccine, that have immunity \u2014 you\u2019re defying everything we know about immunity by telling people to wear masks that have been vaccinated. Instead you should be saying there is no science to say we\u2019re going to have a problem from the large number of people who\u2019ve been vaccinated. You want to get rid of vaccine hesitancy? Wearing masks after they get the vaccine? You want people to get the vaccine? Give them a reward instead of telling them that the nanny state is going to be there for three more years and you gotta wear a mask forever. People don\u2019t want to hear it; there\u2019s no science behind it.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cLet me state just for the record that masks are not theater. Masks are protective,\u201d Fauci replied.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you have immunity they\u2019re theater. If you already have immunity, you\u2019re wearing a mask to give comfort to others, you\u2019re not wearing a mask because of any science,\u201d Paul shot back.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/rand-paul-in-heated-exchange-with-fauci\">WATCH: \u2018You\u2019ve Had The Vaccine And You\u2019re Wearing Two Masks. Isn\u2019t That Theater?\u2019 Rand Paul In Heated Exchange With&nbsp;Fauci<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a&nbsp;<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a departure from the GOP\u2019s largely critical rhetoric about Dr. Anthony Fauci, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) defended the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2311707,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-365.jpeg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Mitch McConnell Defends Dr. Fauci: \u2018The Most Reliable Witness I\u2019ve Seen\u2019","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-390365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-365.jpeg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Mitch McConnell Defends Dr. Fauci: \u2018The Most Reliable Witness I\u2019ve Seen\u2019","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2311707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}