The latest battle between Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and the immunologist, who have clashed in the past, came during a hearing of a US Senate committee on pandemic management .
"More people have died under President Biden than under President Trump. You are the responsible, you are the architect of the government's response, and today 800,000 people have died" from Covid-19 in the country, he said. launched the senator.
Mr. Fauci, director of the American National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIAID), responded by taking part in the commission, during a sequence broadcast live on CNN.
"What happens when he accuses me of things that are entirely wrong is all of a sudden it stirs up the deranged, and I have death threats hanging over me, my family is harassed and my children receive shocking phone calls, "said Mr. Fauci, 81.
He recalled that at the end of December, a man was arrested on his way from California to the American capital, armed with a semi-automatic rifle and ammunition.
"The police arrested him and asked him where he was going, and he was going to Washington to kill Dr Fauci. (...) Because he thinks that maybe I am killing people", said the scientist.
He then showed an image from Rand Paul's website, bearing the slogan "Sack Dr. Fauci" next to his face, and calling on the public to donate money to support the senator's election campaign.
"You are shaping a catastrophic epidemic for your political game," said Anthony Fauci.
These very tense exchanges reflect a strong politicization of the pandemic in the United States, where divisions have continued to widen, particularly concerning preventive measures, such as masks or vaccines.
© 2022 AFP