Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul slammed a group of five Republican senators who voted Tuesday against his amendment to remove Dr. Anthony Fauci but had once voted in favor of impeaching former President Donald Trump.
“I guess I’m not surprised that Republican senators who voted to get rid of Donald Trump voted to keep Anthony Fauci,” Paul said in an exclusive statement to the Daily Caller. “Disappointed but not surprised. I think if Republican voters in their home states learn of this vote to keep Anthony Fauci, these voters will be very unhappy.”
Republican Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah and Jerry Moran of Kansas all voted against the amendment.
The same group of senators also voted to convict Trump, with the exception of Moran, who criticized the former president but said he would not vote to convict Trump because it could establish a dangerous precedent.
Paul put forward an amendment Monday that would “eliminate” Fauci’s role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
“We’ve learned a lot over the past two years, but one lesson in particular is that no one person should be deemed ‘dictator-in-chief’,” Paul said in a statement. “No one person should have unilateral authority to make decisions for millions of Americans.”
Under the proposal, Fauci’s role would be split and replaced with three new directors for three new institutes: National Institute of Allergic Diseases, National Institute of Infectious Diseases and National Institute of Immunologic Diseases. Each director would be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Terms would last five years.