Anthony Fauci, then director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies during a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, September 14, 2022.
Cliff Owen / AP
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Cliff Owen / AP
FLETCHER, N.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump has ended federal security details for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert who advised him on the Covid-19 pandemic, a person familiar with the ‘case said Friday.
Fauci is the latest in a string of former Trump aides turned critical only to have their federal protections revoked despite ongoing threats to their lives.
Speaking to reporters in North Carolina on Friday, Trump said he would feel no responsibility if the damage was done to former government officials. A person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters, said Fauci’s federal security detail ended Thursday and he has since hired private security.
Asked about Fauci and former national security adviser John Bolton, Trump said: “They all made a lot of money. They can also hire their own security.”
Trump, a Republican, earlier this week revoked protection details for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his top aide, Brian Hook, as well as Bolton. All have faced threats from Iran since taking hard-line stances on the Islamic Republic during Trump’s first administration and falling with him in the years after he left office in 2021.
Fauci was a regular with Trump during the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak, but criticized Trump after the president tried to undermine public health advice. Fauci has faced regular threats to his life and received federal protection for years.
Bolton, Hook and Pompeo have had their security details repeatedly renewed by the Biden administration due to credible and continuing threats from Iran. Fauci has also been repeatedly reappointed by President Joe Biden, a Democrat, due to domestic threats.
“You can’t have a security detail for the rest of your life because you worked for the government,” Trump said.
