Mulvaney criticizes Fauci for lack of candor in Oval Office

Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney criticized Anthony Fauci for having a lack of candor in the Oval Office surrounding COVID-19 guidelines.

Mulvaney was asked by NewsNation’s Blake Burman on “The Hill” whether he ever heard Fauci say there was “no science” behind the social distancing guidelines throughout his time in the White House. He said he never heard that from the chief medical adviser, adding that Fauci’s comments on how there was “no science” behind some of the guidelines makes him “angry.”

“That level of candor was not present in the oval office. He’s being more honest with members of Congress four years after the fact than he was with the President of the United States, and that’s not right,” Mulvaney said on Monday.

“Your job is not to go in and make decisions. Your job is to go in and give the president the information he needs to make a decision. I never saw that,” he added.

Fauci served as the White House’s chief medical adviser during the COVID-19 pandemic and has since been criticized by Republicans for his role in the administration’s response.

Fauci was grilled during a House committee hearing on Monday about the administration’s response to COVID-19, especially concerning six-foot social distancing guidelines and mask mandates.

In a previous closed-door interview with lawmakers, Fauci said guidance about six-foot social distancing “sort of just appeared,” which was a comment that drew criticism from GOP lawmakers. 

“It actually came from the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]. The CDC was responsible for those kinds of guidelines for schools, not me,” Fauci said of the comment during the hearing.

“It had little to do with me, since I didn’t make the recommendation. And my saying there was no science behind it means there was no clinical trial that proved that. That’s just one of the things that got a little distorted,” he continued.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

The Hill show on NewsNation airs Monday to Friday at 6 p.m. EST.