On Monday (August 22), following the announcement Dr. Anthony Fauci is expected to retire in December, Dr. Jonathon Reiner, CNN’s medical analyst, praised the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director for being an “inspiration.”
During a segment on CNN’s “At This Hour,” host Kate Bolduan brought up that Fauci “says that he wants to… inspire the next generation of scientific leaders,” before asking Reiner, “What do you think that looks like?”
Reimer responded by lauding Fauci as “an inspiration to young physicians and kids in high school,” stating that he hoped the additional free time Fauci had would lead him to be a mentor or write.
“Well, maybe this will get him more time to be a mentor. I hope it gives him more time to write and to be an inspiration to young physicians and kids in high school,” Reiner said.
He continued his remarks by expressing his hopes that President Joe Biden gives “Dr. Fauci the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but he has already received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
Reiner also attributed Fauci’s, 81, retirement to political frustration.
Reiner claimed Fauci’s “probably frustrated with how much politics has polluted the work that he has to do,” noting that Fauci “is not just a scientist and chief medical adviser to the president, but the world in which he lives has been incredibly politicized.”
The CNN medical analyst also pointed to Fauci being on the receiving end of a probe that GOP lawmakers had hinted at for months.
However, following the announcement of Fauci’s retirement, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY.) declared, “Fauci’s resignation will not prevent a full-throated investigation into the origins of the pandemic.”
