Jim Jordan latest Republican lawmaker to clash with Fauci during congressional hearing

Rep. Jim Jordan's contentious exchange with top government epidemiologist Anthony Fauci Thursday was only the latest in a string of spats between Fauci and congressional Republicans.

Jordan, R-Ohio, and Fauci clashed Thursday over when Americans would be able to stop wearing masks and be able to gather in whatever numbers they please.

"When is the time?" Jordan asked. "When do Americans get their freedom back?"

"When we get the level of infection in this country low enough that it is not a really high threat," Fauci said.

Jordan continued to push Fauci to provide a more specific definition of what infection level would not be considered a threat, but Fauci would not elaborate.

"You're ranting again," Fauci told Jordan at one point, as the Ohio House member continued to say that Americans had lost their "liberty" over the past year.

"Yes, you are," replied Fauci.

Fauci has been a regular at congressional hearings since the beginning of the pandemic, and Thursday was not the first time he was in a heated exchange with Jordan.

In one particular exchange last summer, Jordan asked Fauci about what the difference was between churches and businesses, where crowds were limited by the government, and protests, where large groups gathered.

Jordan asked Fauci, "Should we limit the protesting?" Fauci asked Jordan to clarify the question, to which Jordan responded, "Should government limit the protesting?"

"I'm not in a position to determine what the government can do in a forceful way," Fauci said before Jordan interrupted: "You make all kinds of recommendations, you make comments on dating, on baseball, on everything you can imagine. I'm just asking, you just said, protesting increases the spread. I'm just asking you: Should we try to limit the protest?"

Jordan further accused Fauci of favoring "one First Amendment liberty, protesting, over another, practicing your faith."

"I'm not favoring anybody over anybody," Fauci said. "I'm just making a statement that's a broad statement... avoid crowds of any type no matter where you are, because that leads to the acquisition and transmission. And I don't judge one crowd versus another crowd."

Fauci has also clashed multiple times with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. The latest incident between the two came last month.

"You’re telling everybody to wear a mask whether they’ve had infection or had a vaccine. What I’m saying is they have immunity and everybody agrees they have immunity," Paul said to Fauci in a hearing. "What studies do you have that people who have had the vaccine or had infection are spreading the infection?... You’ve had the vaccine and you’re wearing two masks. Isn’t that theater?"

"Here we go again with the theater, let’s get down to the facts," Fauci shot back. "When you talk about reinfection and you don't keep in the co... (Read more)

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