Vice President Mike Pence said he believes Dr. Anthony Fauci is a “valued member” of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
During a phone call with reporters on Wednesday, Pence reportedly described Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as an important part of the task force amid public criticism from White House officials of the health expert.
“Dr. Tony Fauci is a valued member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. We just completed our latest meeting today. And we couldn’t be more grateful for his steady counsel as we continue to meet this moment with a whole of government approach, a whole of America approach,” he said on the call.
The same afternoon, Pence also tweeted a photograph of him with Fauci and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.
“Productive meeting of the @WhiteHouse Coronavirus Task Force today. As we continue to put the health and well-being of the American people first, we are working closely with states to move forward, safely reopening our Nation and get Americans back to work,” the vice president wrote.
Productive meeting of the @WhiteHouse Coronavirus Task Force today. As we continue to put the health and well-being of the American people first, we are working closely with states to move forward, safely reopening our Nation and get Americans back to work. pic.twitter.com/WxsZwd8kiM
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) July 15, 2020
Late Tuesday, White House economic adviser Peter Navarro wrote an op-ed for USA Today criticizing Fauci, titling his article “Anthony Fauci has been wrong about everything I have interacted with him on.”
“So when you ask me whether I listen to Dr. Fauci’s advice, my answer is: only with skepticism and caution,” Navarro wrote.
President Trump, who on Monday shared anti-Fauci posts on Twitter, reacted to the op-ed by saying Navarro “shouldn’t be doing that.”
“The Peter Navarro op-ed didn’t go through normal White House clearance processes and is the opinion of Peter alone. @realDonaldTrump values the expertise of the medical professionals advising his Administration,” said White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah in a statement on Twitter.
