Lindsey Graham defends Dr. Fauci, says 'any effort to undermine' him is counterproductive

Lindsey Graham.
(Image credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Speaking Tuesday at the South Carolina Hospital Association in Columbia, South Carolina, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) backed up Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who has at times drawn the ire of President Trump because of his cautious advice during the coronavirus pandemic.

Not long after the White House sent journalists "opposition" research on Fauci, Graham said "we don't have a Dr. Fauci problem." He described Fauci as one "of the smartest people I know," adding that "any effort to undermine him is not going to be productive, quite frankly." The senator didn't call anyone out specifically for their opposition to Fauci, but he made it clear "getting into a contest" with the epidemiology expert "won't move the ball forward" when it comes to reopening the country safely.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.