Longtime government employee Anthony Fauci claims he’s planning to finally retire at the end of Joe Biden’s current term in office, and noted that his political future in Washington may be complicated should Republicans retake Congress this year.
Fauci, the director of the NIAID and the highest paid federal government employee in history, previously claimed he would only retire when the COVID-19 pandemic was over. Now, he says, that’s not likely to ever happen.
“If somebody says, ‘You’ll leave when we don’t have Covid anymore,’ then I will be 105. I think we’re going to be living with this,” he told Politico in an interview published today, after being asked if he’s staying in the Biden administration due to “a sense of obligation.”
Then, moments ago, CNN reported that the 81-year-old doctor is, indeed, planning on retiring relatively soon.
Fauci receives a COVID-19 vaccine in December of 2020 (NIH / Flickr)
“I have said that for a long time,” Fauci told the left wing cable network, “By the time we get to the end of Biden’s first term, I will very likely (retire).”
In his interview with Politico, the controversial White House medical advisor acknowledged that Republicans will likely have hard questions about his COVID-19 response should the party retake the U.S. House.
“They’re going to try and come after me, anyway. I mean, probably less so if I’m not in the job,” said Fauci, before insisting, “I don’t make that a consideration in my career decision.”
Fauci also complained that many Americans refuse to listen to “the science” – which he has previously declared simply means doing whatever he says.
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“It’s becoming more and more difficult to get people to listen, because even the people who are compliant want this behind them,” Fauci said. He blamed Republicans.
“I don’t think they can say anything about the science,” he said of Republicans questioning his leadership. “If that’s what you want to investigate, be my guest. My telling somebody that it’s important to follow fundamental good public health practices … what are you going to investigate about that?”
Fauci was hired to run the NIAID in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan. He has remained in the position since then, and is the highest paid government employee.
While Fauci is discussing retirement today, only one week ago he was urging Americans not to “put this pandemic behind us” and warning that COVID-19 was here to stay.
In another recent interview, the embattled doctor claimed that Americans should once again don face masks, even inside, to protect themselves from the latest strain of COVID-19.
