President Donald Trump said Friday that Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top infectious disease official who has faced threats since leading the country's COVID-19 response, cannot have government-provided security forever and urged him to hire his own.
During a press briefing in North Carolina, Trump was asked about media reports that he had stripped security for Fauci, whose efforts to fight the pandemic were applauded by many public health experts even as he was vilified by Trump and many other Republicans.
Trump said that when you work for government, "at some point your security detail comes off, and you know, you can't have them forever."
Trump added: "We took some off other people too, but you can't have a security detail for the rest of your life because you work for government."
Fauci was provided security by the National Institutes of Health, where he was a top official before retiring in August, according to CNN, which first reported that Trump had pulled his security.
A person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, told The Associate Press that Fauci’s federal security detail was ended Thursday and that he has since hired private security.
Trump, who took office on Monday, has terminated security for a number of other officials from his first term in office, including some who have faced specific security threats.
On Tuesday, Trump said he ended security for his former national security adviser John Bolton. He also yanked protection for his former top diplomat Mike Pompeo and former Iran envoy Brian Hook.
Asked if he would take responsibility if something happened to Fauci or to Bolton, Trump said: "No. You know they all made a lot of money, they can hire their own security too."
"Fauci made a lot of money. They all did ... Certainly I would not take responsibility," Trump said.
Material from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in compiling this report.
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