President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that he has terminated the security detail provided to Dr. Anthony Fauci at the taxpayer’s expense.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requested security for Fauci in 2020 to protect him from threats he received as the top health official and public spokesperson during the COVID-19 pandemic. But that detail was pulled on Thursday night, CNN first reported.
Trump was asked about the decision Friday while visiting Asheville, N.C., to tour areas impacted by Hurricane Helene.
“I think, you know, when you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off and, you know, you can’t have them forever,” Trump said.
“We took some off other people too, but you can’t have a security detail for the rest of your life because you work for government,” he added.
Trump earlier revoked the security clearances of 51 intelligence officials who had wrongly claimed that Hunter Biden’s laptop had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation,” as well as the details provided to former national security advisor John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.