According to Fox News, Fauci was questioned about his actions and decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fauci's experience as a public figure has taken a disconcerting turn in recent years, as he noted during his appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." He described the current atmosphere as one filled with "vitriol and pure hostility," which he believes mirrors the deep-seated divisiveness plaguing the nation.
Fauci lamented the loss of civility and respect in political discourse, recalling times when ideological differences were met with reasoned debate rather than outright hostility. "There was always politics, there were people of different ideologies, there was center, center-left, center-right, they disagreed and they sometimes would argue with each other," Fauci said. "But at the end of the day, there was civility and respect for each other."
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The former director also noted a shift in the American political environment, with questioning becoming "very strict" and aggressive. He went on to describe the current state of the nation as one of "schizophrenia" due to political division.
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During the June 3 hearing, lawmakers scrutinized Fauci over various pandemic-related restrictions, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's six-feet distancing rule and the masking of schoolchildren. When Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, questioned the justification of business closures, church closures, school closures, and stay-at-home orders, Fauci affirmed their necessity. He defended mask mandates, even for children under the age of 5, citing the dire circumstances "when 5,000 people a day were dying."
