President Donald Trump has terminated Dr. Anthony Fauci‘s security detail that was being paid for by the National Institutes of Health.
CNN reported Friday on the latest move by Trump to punish his political enemies.
Fauci – the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases – has since hired a private security firm, the network said.
He’s taken much of the blame for the unpopular lockdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, despite working under Trump at the time.
During his trip to Asheville, North Carolina Friday, Trump shrugged off the move.
‘No, I think you know, when you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off, and you know, you can’t have them forever,’ the president said.
‘So I think it’s very standard. If it was for somebody else you wouldn’t be asking the question,’ Trump added.
Fauci was among those that President Joe Biden gave blanket pardons to as he left office earlier this week, fearing Trump would seek legal retribution.
Trump has already taken revenge on some critics – and former officials who didn’t endorse him wholeheartedly.
He terminated his former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s Secret Service protection and the State Department detail assigned to his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – with both being under threat of assassination by Iran.
President Donald Trump (left) has terminated Dr. Anthony Fauci’s (right) security detail that was being paid for by the National Institutes of Health
