President Donald Trump terminated Dr. Anthony Fauci’s security detail provided by the NIH on Thursday. A source told CNN that Fauci has since hired his own personal security.
Trump addressed the decision, saying government officials don’t get security “forever.” “I think you know, when you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off,” Trump said. “You can’t have them forever.”
He added that pulling security details is standard. “We took some off other people too, but you can’t have a security detail for the rest of your life because you worked for government,” Trump said.
Trump also pulled security clearance for former national security adviser John Bolton upon taking office.
A reporter asked Trump if he’d feel responsible if anything happened to Fauci or Bolton. “They all made a lot of money,” Trump responded. “They can hire their own security. I can give them good numbers of security people.”
Trump rejected any responsibility. “We’re not going to have security on people for the rest of their lives. Why should we?” he said.
A May 2024 House Oversight Committee report accused Fauci and former adviser David Morens of deleting emails to evade FOIA requests. The report showed Fauci and Morens used private emails for government business.
Morens even suggested others contact Fauci’s private email to avoid scrutiny. The House Oversight Committee revealed this pattern in its findings.
On his final day in office, former President Joe Biden issued a pardon for Fauci. He called the investigations into Fauci “unjustified and politically motivated.”
“I believe in the rule of law,” Biden tweeted. “But these are exceptional circumstances. Baseless investigations wreak havoc on people’s lives and safety.”