Twitter CEO Elon Musk’s call to prosecute President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, has attracted high-profile criticism.
What Happened: After Musk tweeted on Sunday that his pronouns were “Prosecute/Fauci," former NASA astronaut and naval aviator Scott Kelly asked him not to “mock and promote hate toward already marginalized and at-risk-of-violence members of the [LGBTQ+] community.”
“They are real people with real feelings. Furthermore, Dr. Fauci is a dedicated public servant whose sole motivation was saving lives,” said Kelly.
.@elonmusk Elon, please don’t mock and promote hate toward already marginalized and at-risk-of-violence members of the #LGBTQ+ community. They are real people with real feelings. Furthermore, Dr Fauci is a dedicated public servant whose sole motivation was saving lives. https://t.co/Vgu04XMGeZ
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) December 12, 2022
Musk responded that he disagreed with “forcing your pronouns upon others.” He said that Fauci “lied to Congress and funded gain-of-function research that killed millions of people. Not awesome.”
See Also: Best Technology Stocks Right Now
Why It Matters: Musk’s comments on Fauci became a lightning rod for criticism. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said on Twitter that she was a “big fan” of the outgoing Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where he’s served since Nov. 1984.
I’m a big fan of Dr. Fauci and how he’s calmly guided our country through crisis.
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) December 11, 2022
Re Musk tweet? Courting vaccine-deniers doesn’t seem like a smart business strategy, but the issue is this: could you just leave a good man alone in your seemingly endless quest for attention?
Former CIA Director John O. Brennan called Fauci a “national hero” and said despite Musk’s “business success” he will be remembered most for fueling public hate & divisions.”
Dr. Fauci is a national hero who will be remembered for generations to come for his innate goodness & many contributions to public health
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) December 11, 2022
Despite your business success, you will be remembered most for fueling public hate & divisions.
You may have money, but you have no class. https://t.co/0zabyXMERz
“You may have money, but you have no class,” said O. Brennan.
Fauci has said he would testify before Congress if he was called to do so. "If I become a punching bag, I’m a punching bag.”
“But I am very happy to testify before any congressional oversight committee, I have nothing to hide, I can explain and validate everything that I’ve done," the scientist said in a Friday interview with Chris Wallace, reported Axios.
Last week, Musk reacted to a post that noted that Fauci’s daughter worked at Twitter during the pandemic by saying, “small world.”
Photo by Steve Jurvetson on Flickr
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Comments
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
