Anthony Fauci’s security is stepped up as doctor and face of coronavirus response receives threats

Infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci who has become the public face of reason during the coronavirus outbreak is receiving death threats from some unhappy at what they are hearing. 

Dr. Fauci, 79, who works at the National Institute of Health was brought onto the Coronavirus Task Force and regularly appears alongside President Trump during daily public briefing on the pandemic.

Fauci has now been given security protection after receiving unwelcome threats. 

Fauci is one of few officials who is willing to correct President Trump’s misstatements in public.

Dr. Anthony Fauci’s security has been stepped up as the face of the U.S. coronavirus response receives threats

‘The concerns include threats as well as unwelcome communications from fervent admirers, according to people with knowledge of deliberations inside the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice,’ a report in the Washington Post stated.  

‘The exact nature of the threats against him was not clear. Greater exposure has led to more praise for the doctor but also more criticism,’ the Post wrote. 

‘Alex Azar, the HHS secretary, recently grew concerned about Fauci’s safety as his profile rose and he endured more vitriolic criticism online, according to people familiar with the situation. In recent weeks, admirers have also approached Fauci, asking to him sign baseballs, along with other acts of adulation. It was determined that Fauci should have a security detail. Azar also has a security detail because he is in the presidential line of succession. 

The security concerns regarding the nation's top infectious disease expert include threats against his personal safety

The security concerns regarding the nation’s top infectious disease expert include threats against his personal safety

Fauci is one of a number of medical advisers for the president and is known to have earned Trump’s respect and confidence. 

He encouraged the president to extend the timeline for social-distancing and was blunt about the grim outlook suggesting the possibly toll of the pandemic in the U.S. could be as high as 240,000 deaths. 

An HHS spokesperson did not discuss the level of security protection with the Post but has said: declined to discuss details of the doctor’s security but said: ‘Dr. Fauci is an integral part of the U.S. Government’s response against covid-19. Among other efforts, he is leading the development of a covid-19 vaccine and he regularly appears at White House press briefings and media interviews.’ 

Fauci on Sunday praised Trump for a 'prudent and wise' decision to maintain social distancing guidelines until at least April 30

Fauci on Sunday praised Trump for a ‘prudent and wise’ decision to maintain social distancing guidelines until at least April 30

Members of the White House coronavirus task force are seen above on Sunday. From left: Vice President Mike Pence, Birx, Fauci, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Director Seema Verma, and Admiral Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary of Health and Human Services

Members of the White House coronavirus task force are seen above on Sunday. From left: Vice President Mike Pence, Birx, Fauci, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Director Seema Verma, and Admiral Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary of Health and Human Services

‘Now is the time, whenever you’re having an effect, not to take your foot off the accelerator and on the brake, but to just press it down on the accelerator,’ he said on Tuesday. 

Fauci has been appearing alongside Dr. Deborah Birx and has not held back from fact-checking leaders who disseminate incorrect information. 

As a result of greater public exposure he has become something of a target for right-wing commentators and bloggers, many of whom are urging the president to ease restrictions in order to get the economy going again. 

Dr Anthony Fauci has been caught smirking at President Donald Trump during a coronavirus press conference, further fueling rumors of tension between the pair

Dr Fauci then placed his hand over his face, in what many described as a 'face palm' reaction to Trump's inflammatory remarks

Fauci gained viral attention when he placed his hand in front of his face in a gesture of apparent disbelief as Trump referred to the State Department as the ‘deep state department’ during a White House briefing

Last month, one article depicted him as an agent of the ‘deep state’ and was widely shared between pro-Trump groups.

Being on the front line has turned him into a hero for some. 

After failing to appear during a briefing last month, concerned follower went on Twitter to ask ‘Where is Dr. Fauci?’ 

He gained viral attention two days later when he placed his hand in front of his face in a gesture of apparent disbelief as Trump referred to the State Department as the ‘deep state department’ from the White House briefing room.

He has also won fans for tempering praise for the president. 

He told the journal Science last month that he attempts to guide Trump’s statements but ‘can’t jump in front of the microphone and push him down.’ 

Dr Anthony Fauci (center) said on Sunday at the White House that it is 'possible' the United States could surpass 200,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. President Trump is seen left and Dr Deborah Birx, the response coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force, is seen right

Dr Anthony Fauci (center) said on Sunday at the White House that it is ‘possible’ the United States could surpass 200,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. President Trump is seen left and Dr Deborah Birx, the response coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force, is seen right

But some right-wing news sites have attempted to smear the doctor.

One publication called Fauci a ‘Deep-State ­Hillary Clinton-loving stooge’ after coming across emails released by WikiLeaks which saw Dr Fauci praising Hillary Clinton’s ‘stamina and capability’ when giving testimony during her appearance before congressional committees looking into the attacks in Benghazi, Libya. 

The magazine also suggested that Fauci’s predictions about the death toll were ‘going to destroy the U.S. economy based on total guesses and hysterical predictions.’

The fear and confusion of outbreaks aren’t new to Fauci, who in more than 30 years has handled HIV, SARS, MERS, Ebola and even the nation’s 2001 experience with bioterrorism – the anthrax attacks.

Fauci’s political bosses – from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump – have let him do the explaining because he’s frank and understandable, translating complex medical information into everyday language while neither exaggerating nor downplaying.

‘I served six presidents and I have never done anything other than tell the exact scientific evidence and made policy recommendations based on the science and the evidence,’ he said. 

If you quizzed former presidents about who influenced their views on infectious diseases, ‘Tony’s name would be first on the list, and you wouldn’t have to remind them,’ said former health secretary Mike Leavitt, who worked with Fauci on bird flu preparedness.

Serving a president who until recently dismissed coronavirus by comparing it to seasonal flu, Fauci has been even-handed in public. He’s won the respect of Democratic and Republican lawmakers, along with Trump administration officials.

Almost in matter-of-fact fashion Fauci acknowledged to Congress last month that the government system wasn’t designed for mass testing of potential infections. ‘It is a failing, let´s admit it,’ he told lawmakers.

But he also supported President Donald Trump’s restrictions on travel from Europe. It’s part of the containment strategy, he explained. ‘It was pretty compelling that we needed to turn off the source from that region,’ he said.

The threat of a pandemic has been on Fauci’s mind for years. Many scientists thought it would come from the flu, but it turned out to be coronavirus.

Fauci is seen above in a lab in 1984. He has headed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH for more than three decades

Fauci is seen above in a lab in 1984. He has headed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH for more than three decades

Fauci has been married to nurse Christine Grady since 1985

Fauci has been married to nurse Christine Grady since 1985

Anthony Stephen Fauci was born in Brooklyn, New York, on Christmas Eve, 1940, into an Italian-American family. President George W. Bush, who in 2008 awarded Fauci the Presidential Medal of Freedom, noted that even as a boy he showed an independent streak: In a neighborhood full of Brooklyn Dodgers fans, Fauci rooted for the Yankees.

Fauci became head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 1984, when the nation was in the throes of the AIDS crisis. He’s recalled the huge frustration of caring for dying patients in the NIH´s hospital with nothing to offer.

After hours, he´d chat with then-Surgeon General C. Everett Koop about what scientists were learning about AIDS, influencing Koop´s famous 1986 report educating Americans about the disease.

Fauci is seen far right in December 2002, when the nation was facing a spike in the number of smallpox infection. From left: Then-President George W. Bush; Homeland Security Director-designee Tom Ridge, and Dr. Julie Gerberding of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Fauci is seen far right in December 2002, when the nation was facing a spike in the number of smallpox infection. From left: Then-President George W. Bush; Homeland Security Director-designee Tom Ridge, and Dr. Julie Gerberding of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

For his contributions, Fauci was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Bush in June 2008

For his contributions, Fauci was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Bush in June 2008

Fauci is pictured with his wife Christine Grady and daughters Jennifer, Megan and Alison in the 1990s

Fauci is pictured with his wife Christine Grady and daughters Jennifer, Megan and Alison in the 1990s

In 1990, when AIDS activists swarmed the NIH to protest what they saw as government indifference, Fauci brought them to the table. Fast forward, and he helped to shape Trump’s initiative to end HIV in the U.S.

Although he’s spent his career in government, Fauci doesn’t seem to have lost the human touch – and that may be part of the key to his success as a communicator.

During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, many Americans panicked when a U.S. nurse got infected by a patient she was caring for, a traveler from West Africa. Ebola can cause deadly bleeding.

Fauci confronted those fears by setting a personal example. When the NIH hospital released that nurse, not only did he say she wasn’t contagious, he gave her a hug before TV cameras to prove he was not worried.

Fauci (seen far right with Mother Teresa in this undated file photo) has been the point man in the nation's response to HIV, SARS, MERS, and Ebola

Fauci (seen far right with Mother Teresa in this undated file photo) has been the point man in the nation’s response to HIV, SARS, MERS, and Ebola

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