Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI-08) responded in a video posted to Twitter, to Dr. Anthony Fauci’s claim to “represent science,” saying “That’s crazy.” Fauci claimed to represent science during an interview on Face the Nation with CBS that was aired on Sunday.
Rep. Gallagher reacts to Dr. Fauci's interview on Face the Nation where Dr. Fauci unscientifically claimed that anyone who questions him is questioning science. pic.twitter.com/kYtfmgy1bY
— Mike Gallagher (@RepGallagher) November 29, 2021
Gallagher said that it’s a ridiculous claim for two reasons, one of which is that he believes the claim to be “very arrogant.” He mocked Fauci’s statement calling him the “prophet of science”
During the CBS interview, Dr. Fauci responded to his critics, which was when he claimed to represent science. Fauci said:
Anybody who’s looking at this carefully, realizes that there’s a distinct anti-science flavor to this, so if they get up and criticize science, nobody’s going to know what they’re talking about. But if they get up and really aim their bullets at Tony Fauci, well people can recognize that there’s a person there, so it’s easy to criticize, but they’re really criticizing science because I represent science. That’s dangerous.
“The idea that criticizing science is dangerous misunderstands what science is all about,” Gallagher said. “I would argue the essence of science is self-criticism. The essence of the scientific method is test your hypotheses, to try and actively disconfirm your working hypotheses.”
Gallagher continued, saying that he believes that modern advancements to science have been made because of “skepticism and questioning of the status quo.” He said that generally it’s frowned upon by “status quo scientists.” He gave the example of heliocentricity, when it was deemed “heresy” to believe that the sun was in the center of the universe.
“[Fauci] has a near religious conviction in his own infallibility, and in so doing, he’s representing science as some sacrosanct thing that cannot be questioned.” Gallagher said, “Of course he’s not interested in science.”
Gallagher said that Fauci is “using science as a cudgel” in order to stifle debate and discussion. “That’s dangerous, Dr. Fauci,” Gallagher said. He explained that in his opinion, the amount of questions surrounding “the origin of this pandemic” he believes that to be “particularly dangerous.”
Other Republican lawmakers also voiced their frustration at Fauci for his statement, calling him arrogant.
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Hayley Feland is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun and The Wisconsin Daily Star | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
Editor’s note: A previous version of this report referred to Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI-o8) as Rep Bryan Steil (R-WI-01). The Wisconsin Daily Star regrets the error.
