Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was reprimanded by Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), the chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, for refusing to recognize Anthony Fauci as a doctor while questioning him.
Fauci, who became the face of the administration’s COVID-19 response while serving as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified before the GOP-led committee on Monday for the first time since retiring.
During Greene’s turn to question him, the Georgia Republican refused to call Fauci “doctor” and instead referred to him as “Mr. Fauci.”
“Do you think that’s appropriate? Do the American people deserve to be abused like that, Mr. Fauci, because you’re not ‘Dr.,’ you’re ‘Mr. Fauci’ in my few minutes,” she said, before adding, “No, I don’t need your answer.”
She was pressing him on schools requiring children to wear masks during the pandemic and the 6-feet social distancing guidelines put in place in many public spaces to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) quickly objected, asking, “Just in terms of the rules of decorum, are we allowed to deny that a doctor is a doctor just because we don’t want him to be a doctor?”
“Yes, because in my time, that man does not deserve to have a license. As a matter of fact, it should be revoked, and he belongs in jail,” Greene responded.
Wenstrup then reprimanded Greene, saying loudly that “the gentlelady will suspend” and instructing her to recognize Fauci as a doctor.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) also said it was “unacceptable” for Greene not to address Fauci with the appropriate title.
“It’s completely unacceptable to deny Dr. Fauci, who’s here, a respected member of the medical community, his title. And that’s actually a personal attack on his character,” he said.
This prompted Greene to say that Fauci was “not respected” and to double down on not addressing Fauci as doctor. Wenstrup then urged all members of the committee to adhere to the rules of decorum and to be “mindful of their remarks.”
Greene concluded her questioning by calling for a criminal referral against Fauci for “crimes against humanity.”
“You know what this committee should be doing? We should be recommending you to be prosecuted. We should be writing a criminal referral because you should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity. You belong in prison, Dr. Fauci,” Greene said, without allowing time for Fauci to respond.
