Scott Atlas Resigns as White House Task Force Adviser

Dr. Scott Atlas has resigned as special adviser to President Donald Trump on the coronavirus, submitting a resignation letter dated Dec. 1.

The letter was first obtained by Fox News and subsequently posted on Twitter.  Atlas' resignation comes as his 130-day detail as a Special Government Employee (SGE) expired this week.

Atlas alerted President Donald Trump of his resignation Monday, according to the report.

"I am writing to resign from my position as Special Advisor to the President of the United States," Atlas' resignation letter read, thanking him for "the honor and privilege to serve on behalf of the American people."

"I worked hard with a singular focus — to save lives and help Americans through this pandemic," the letter read, noting he "always relied on the latest science and evidence, without any political consideration or influence."

"As time went on, like all scientists and health policy scholars, I learned new information and synthesized the latest data from around the world, all in an effort to provide you with the best information to serve the greater public good. But, perhaps more than anything, my advice was always focused on minimizing all the harms from both the pandemic and the structural policies themselves, especially to the working class and the poor."

Atlas was harshly critical of lockdowns, calling them "extremely harmful" to Americans, writing his work "identified and illuminated early on the harms of prolonged lockdowns, including that they create massive physical health losses and psychological distress, destroy families and damage our children.

"And more and more, the relatively low risk to children of serious harms from the infection, the less frequent spread from children, the presence of immunologic protection beyond that shown by antibody testing, and the severe harms from closing schools and society are all being acknowledged," he wrote.

Atlas also did officially wish the Joe Biden administration well.

"I sincerely wish the new team all the best as they guide the nation through these trying, polarized times," he wrote. "With the emerging treatments and vaccines, I remain highly optimistic that America will thrive once again and overcome the adversity of the pandemic and all that it has entailed."

Members of the White House coronavirus task force were critical of Dr. Atlas, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield who said of Atlas: "Everything he says is false."

• Fauci: COVID-19 Won't 'Be Pandemic for a Lot Longer'
• Georgia Dem Ossoff Supports CDC-Advised Shutdowns