WATCH: Dr. Fauci Rips Into Slanderous and Inflammatory GOP Senator Rand Paul

For months now, Republicans have been making Dr. Anthony Fauci the fall guy for COVID-19. The person responsible for the country’s horrible response, of course, was Donald Trump. But GOP lawmakers are willing to do basically anything to shield the former president from criticism.

Yesterday, though, Fauci had enough of Senator Rand Paul’s grandstanding leading to a viral exchange. Fauci discussed that moment with MSNBC‘s Ari Melber on Wednesday night.

The host asked, “We saw your clash with Senator Paul. For those of us who covered you and listened to you, a major contrast to most of your public speaking. What was so important or concerning to you about that? Do you think people listened to what Dr. Rand Paul or what Tucker Carlson was saying and act on it, they may be increasing their risk of getting COVID or getting hurt.”

Fauci responded:

“You know, I don’t any take great pleasure, Ari, in clashing with the senator. I have a great deal of respect for the institution of the Senate of the United States. But he was completely out of line. He totally distorted reality. And he made some inflammatory and I believe slanderous remarks about lying under oath, which is completely nonsense. I mean, and some of the things he says are so distorted and out of tune with reality, I had to call him on that. I didn’t enjoy it, but I had to do that because he was completely out of line. Totally inappropriate.”

Watch a clip of the exchange below: