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Bravo host Andy Cohen accused Senate Republicans of waging a “war on science” Wednesday on “Watch What Happens Live!” after lawmakers grilled Dr. Anthony Fauci for more than three hours at a Washington hearing about the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cohen dismissed GOP senators’ questions as an effort to hold Fauci responsible for offenses that did not exist.
“It goes to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who spent over three hours today being grilled, berated, and sworn at by Senate Republicans over the imaginary crimes they want you to believe he committed during his management of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cohen said.
He awarded Fauci his “Mazel of the Day,” praised his decades of public service and suggested lawmakers were envious of doctors and scientists.
Bravo host Andy Cohen accused Republican senators of pursuing Dr. Anthony Fauci over “imaginary crimes.” (Sirius XM)
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“Maybe our politicians are just jealous because doctors and scientists do the one thing they can’t ever seem to do: fix something,” Cohen said.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, drew Cohen’s criticism after demanding that Fauci apologize to parents, business owners and others affected by pandemic-era restrictions. Moreno also condemned Fauci’s repeated refusal to answer senators’ questions.
“Who the f— do you think you are?” Moreno said during the hearing. “It is a total disgrace what you did to this country.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Moreno communications director Reagan McCarthy defended the senator’s questioning and responded directly to Cohen.
Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times at his contentious Senate hearing. (Nathan Howard/Reuters)
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“Was it appropriate for Fauci to keep kids out of school and cost thousands of small business owners their livelihoods with nonsensical restrictions?” McCarthy said.
“Senator Moreno spoke for all Americans who were chastised for standing up to pandemic tyranny, and a government bureaucrat who unilaterally shut down the country should be able to handle a curse word.”
Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during the Senate hearing, declining to answer questions about COVID-19’s origins, federally funded research, lockdown policies, vaccine guidance and entries from his pandemic-era diary.
Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., disputed Fauci’s ability to invoke the Fifth Amendment after former President Joe Biden issued him a preemptive pardon and said the committee would vote on whether to hold him in contempt.
Sen. Bernie Moreno’s office defended his heated questioning of Fauci after Andy Cohen accused Republicans of waging a “war on science.” (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)
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Fox News Digital reached out to Paul for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
The committee’s ranking Democrat, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., criticized Paul’s handling of the proceeding and accused Republicans of seeking predetermined conclusions.
Cohen also praised Fauci’s work combating HIV/AIDS and credited him with helping develop the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The State Department has credited PEPFAR with saving 26 million lives, and Harvard Medical School has described Fauci as one of the program’s principal architects.
Cohen’s monologue generated some criticism on social media, with one user accusing him of being “in bed with big pharma” over his promotion of COVID vaccines.
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