Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera criticized Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, for turning the Senate into a "bazaar for bozos" after Paul, joined by Kansas Republican Senator Roger Marshall, drew attention for attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading expert on infectious diseases, during a hearing.
Writing on Twitter, Rivera lamented that the Senate used to be regarded as "the world's most dliberative body" but has now been sullied by "low-brow, rudeness displayed by senators like Paul and Marshall" more akin to an episode of The Jerry Springer Show.
Senate used to be "the world's most deliberative body." Lately, it's been a Bazaar for Bozos. The low-brow, rudeness displayed by senators like Paul and Marshall has remade the Upper Chamber into a Jerry Springer Show. Their savage attacks on #DrAnthonyFauci have no shame.— Geraldo Rivera (@Geraldo Rivera) 1642514138
Rivera's tweet came after a highly contentious Senate hearing in which Paul accused Fauci of "scheming to quash dissenting views from top scientists" and Marshall, seemingly unaware that Fauci's financial disclosures are a matter of public record, demanded that Fauci produce them.
A firm Fauci told Paul that "in usual fashion... you are distorting everything about me" and was later caught on hot mic referring to Paul as a "moron."
Paul, for his part, suggested that Fauci's recommendations that people wear masks and get inoculated to protect themselves from contracting COVID-19 are "coercive" and pushed back against the idea of implementing a nationwide mandate.
Many have concurred with Rivera's assessment while others have offered further criticisms of Paul and his behavior.
Thanks for speaking out. \n#DrAnthonyFauci deserves respect. \nHe's trying to save lives. #GetVaccinatedNow— \u2696 Justice Matters \u2696\ud83c\udf1f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@\u2696 Justice Matters \u2696\ud83c\udf1f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1642524532
the growing list of voices condemning GOP smears against Dr. Fauci now includes @GeraldoRiverahttps://twitter.com/GeraldoRivera/status/1483437931884912648?s=20\u00a0\u2026— Eric Schultz (@Eric Schultz) 1642533454
Damn Geraldo! I\u2019m having to agree with you again!— CCLAM (@CCLAM) 1642528582
Interesting. At least you are calling them out on this. Thank you— Carrie James (@Carrie James) 1642529575
Great comments from @GeraldoRivera. The only issue is that he didn\u2019t tag @RandPaul and @RogerMarshallMD. Now they\u2019re tagged and the self proclaimed virus experts have a chance to enjoy the tweet as much as I did— Joan McLean (@Joan McLean) 1642522912
Dr. Fauci has a Ph.D. in humiliating Rand Paul.— Jack Cocchiarella (@Jack Cocchiarella) 1641931166
Dr. Fauci is to Rand Paul what Jen Psaki is to Peter Doocy.— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@BrooklynDad_Defiant!) 1641919661
Dr. Anthony Fauci has served at NIH since 1968 and has been a senior advisor to every American president from Reagan to Biden. \n\nRand Paul is a non-board-certified ophthalmologist.— Tristan Snell (@Tristan Snell) 1641933641
how many disaster movies start with some asshole politician like Rand Paul telling an expert like Dr. Fauci to shut up— Jeff Tiedrich (@Jeff Tiedrich) 1641920927
Paul has made numerous headlines since the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic began for making outlandish claims and pushing thoroughly debunked conspiracy theories.
Over the summer, he claimed that Democrats are "plucking" sick children from the nation's southern border and planting them around the country as part of a larger plan to "seed" the highly contagious Delta variant, then the dominant variant, across the United States.
In response, Fauci stressed that "the driving force" of Covid-19 infections nationwide "is within our own country."
Fauci has gone on the record in saying that he doesn't "understand" Paul or his behavior, particularly Paul's penchant for entertaining conspiracy theories about COVID-19's origins during prior hearings on the pandemic response.
