These people aren't this stupid. These people think their constituents are. Fauci's salary is public record.
My MR Frenemy called Fauci an "overpaid bureaucrat". This guy would make 3-times this in academia and 10x in industry.
I think the Senator was asking about his financial disclosures, though indeed he did start the interrogation talking about his salary, giant fake check included.
While it is kind of shocking to see a government employee making $435k per year, he is indeed an MD and an accomplished one at that. It’s definitely well above what your average immunologist makes, certainly one working at the VA. But he’s prominent in his field and he’s also 81 years old- most doctors, or non-doctors, obviously don’t work till that age. (BTW, he looks and sounds great for being 81). If the government wants one of the most prominent experts working for them, their has to be an incentive. Otherwise people will go elsewhere.
I find the the most annoying comment “when was the last time you treated a patient”. Clearly Fauci has devoted his career and has made a new for himself in research, not working in an outpatient office.
Anyways, like all other high level government employees, Fauci has to disclose his financials and is bound by rules. His disclosure can be found here:
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7014520-Fauci-Disclosure
Skimming through it very quickly, it mostly looks like mutual funds. Frankly, I am more suspicious of house members and senators financial conflicts of interest.
The accusation that doctors are profiting from pharma companies is kind of an old trope at this point. That said, I imagine a large percentage of doctors have stocks in medical companies, perhaps because they have some understanding of this specific market. I have plenty of stock in healthcare-related companies, but never once have I ever considered that being a factor in patient treatment. In fact, I own stock in companies I absolutely loath, ie CVS- frankly IMO one of the biggest detriments to healthcare in modern times and usually the last pharmacy I recommend if asked for an opinion. I don’t even get my own prescriptions there.
That’s not to say there aren’t conflicts of interest between government employees/officials and the for-profit healthcare industry. The FDA is pretty notorious for being a revolving door between high level pharma employees and FDA officials. But in the case of Fauci, as far as I’m aware he’s basically worked for the NIH his entire career. And I would assume there is far less corrupt corporate pressure for someone issuing grants on behalf of the NIH than there is someone determining whether to approve or deny or recall a drug at the FDA.
I’ll be honest I have some mixed feelings about Tony Fauci throughout this pandemic. Let’s just say people like to either make him out to be a living saint or an evil tyrant. Like most people in the world he has his flaws and has made mistakes. Some of his responses to questioning about the lab leak hypothesis concern me. But in terms of the pandemic response, of which he is a top health advisor, I think he is doing what he believes is right. And no one can always be right.
To try to criticize the guy for getting paid a high salary despite being extremely accomplished is insane. Should that senator be ostracized for making $175k per year? To insinuate financial corruption with zero evidence (and apparently without even making the attempt obtain his disclosures) is just a manifestation of rampant toxic tribalism in the name of trying to virtue signal the whole anti-vax, anti-mask ideology.
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