Washington (AFP)
The US government has strengthened the protection of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the epidemiologist responsible for advising the White House on the coronavirus, which is the target of a violent smear campaign on social networks, we learned on Thursday official.
The US Marshals have assigned some of their officers to the security of Dr. Fauci, said a spokesman for this federal law enforcement unit under the authority of the United States Department of Justice. These officers were already employed by the Ministry of Health, he said.
Dr Fauci, a world renowned infectious disease expert, 79, has become the scientific face of the U.S. response to the pandemic, appearing almost daily at Donald Trump's press conferences in the White House.
As such, he campaigned early for the containment of the population, despite the initial reluctance of the president, who was worried about the heavy economic fallout from these measures and their consequences for his re-election campaign.
Very attached to the facts, the epidemiologist sometimes contradicted the republican billionaire, while taking care not to attack him head on.
His positions and visibility have made him a target of far-right circles, who are increasing the attacks on him on social networks.
Asked about it on Thursday on CBS, he admitted to being subjected to "strong pressure". "It would be unconscious to deny it," but "it's my job, it's the life I chose," he said.
Twitter users accused him especially Thursday morning of being a "liar" or even "a monster of the backwater of the deep state", in reference to a formula frequently used by Donald Trump to criticize federal officials who, according to him , hinder its action.
The president is full of praise for Dr Fauci, who, apart from these extremes, is highly respected for his management, considered calm and professional, of the crisis.
More than 200,000 people have been infected and more than 5,000 killed by Covid-19 in the United States, where the disease is progressing most rapidly. The total death toll could be between 100,000 and 240,000, warned Dr Fauci.
© 2020 AFP