Fauci under fire for claiming CDC should be above the law

Dr. Anthony Fauci came under fire on Thursday after claiming it was “disturbing” that a federal court could rule against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 travel mask mandate, charging that “this is not a judicial matter.”

During an interview with CBS News’ Robert Costa, President Biden’s chief medical adviser said the CDC should be the agency in charge of making public health decisions, not the courts.

“The CDC has the obligation to protect the American public and they make their recommendations based on science and solid public health information,” Fauci said.

“The CDC will abide by the order of the court because it’s a legal obligation,” Fauci added, “but one of the problems we have there is the principle of a court overruling a public health judgement … is disturbing in the precedent that it might send.”

Fauci’s comments on Monday, came just days after a federal judge in Florida overturned the federal travel mask mandate, effectively voiding a White House order which applied to airlines, trains, subways and other transit systems.  

On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced it was appealing the judge’s order, following a request from the CDC.