A federal watchdog cleared Dr. Anthony Fauci of breaching rules designed to prevent civil service employees engaging in political activities after a conservative group complained he criticized President Trump's handling of the COVID pandemic days before the 2020 election.
Protect the Public's Trust claimed Fauci violated the Hatch Act during an interview with the Washington Post.
In its complaint, the group said the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases criticized Trump and praised then presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Asked about the difference between their approaches, Fauci said Biden’s campaign 'is taking it seriously from a public health perspective.' Trump is 'looking at it from a different perspective.'
And he contradicted Trump's optimistic assessment the country was 'rounding the turn.'
Dr. Anthony Fauci has the target for conservatives ever since he took on a key role in the Trump administration's pandemic response. They have questioned his policy proposals and accused him of undermining Trump and efforts to reopen the country
In its complaint, Protect the Public's Trust accused Fauci of criticizing Trump's handling of the pandemic and praising Joe Biden's campaign just days ahead of the 2020 election
'We’re in for a whole lot of hurt. It’s not a good situation,' he said.
'All the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season, with people congregating at home indoors,' he said.
'You could not possibly be positioned more poorly.'
On Tuesday, Protect the Public's Trust revealed the results of an inquiry by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.
It said the OSC noted that the statement came just days before the election and stated that it 'generally advises employees that it is best not to discuss candidates for partisan political office when speaking in their official capacity.
While ultimately finding no technical violation, the OSC’s Deputy Chief conceded that the Washington Post author 'may have written it from a particular perspective and tried to use Dr. Fauci’s words to make a political point.
In an interview with the Washington Post published on Oct. 30, 2020, to discuss the pandemic, Fauci said Biden’s campaign was 'taking it seriously from a public health perspective'
Michael Chamberlain, director of Protect the Public's Trust, said: 'The highest-paid employee in the federal government, and one of the most influential public voices, should be held to the highest standards of conduct.
'Unfortunately, as the Office of Special Counsel noted, Dr. Fauci disregarded its best practices around the Hatch Act and enabled his official position to be used 'to make a political point' even if his motives were unclear.
'We respect OSC's determination that this was a "close call" but believe the American public deserves more from officials such as Dr. Fauci.'
Fauci has been a frequent target of conservatives, angered by his support of lockdowns and his changing position on the merits masking, for example.
His pay has also attracted scrutiny in recent weeks.
Fauci, now chief medical adviser to Biden, earned $434,312 in 2020, making him the highest paid federal employee.
The 81-year-old is also on course to collect the biggest federal government retirement package in U.S. history with his annual payment exceeding $350,000, according to a Forbes estimate.
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