Donald Trump’s favorite COVID-19 adviser Dr. Scott Atlas went on Russian state TV on Saturday to spread misinformation about the coronavirus from the White House.
Atlas who was introduced on the Kremlin controlled RT network as “one of the only two men the U.S. President apparently listens to on the pandemic” said COVID is under control and it’s measures that were implemented to mitigate the spread of the virus, like lockdowns that are “killing people.”
“The lockdowns…will go down as an epic failure of public policy by people who refused to accept they were wrong–were wrong, refuse to accept they were wrong, didn’t know the data, didn’t care and became a frenzy of stopping COVID-19 cases at all costs.”
He continued: “Those costs are massive. What’s happening here is that the argument is undeniable. The lockdowns are killing people but they’re not really impactful, the lockdowns.”
“The public health leadership have failed egregiously and they’re killing people with their fear- inducing shutdown policies. They are literally killing people,” Atlas said.
It’s worth noting that RT TV is how Russia spreads its propaganda around the world. By going on their network, from the freaking White House, to spread false information about the coronavirus, Atlas and by extension the Trump White House is legitimizing the network and endorsing their actions.
Atlas’ comments contrast sharply with what the most trusted member of the White House coronavirus task force, Dr. Anthony Fauci told The Washington Post earlier.
Dr. Fauci said the country could face “a whole lot of hurt” over the coming days. He also said he has “real problems” with Atlas.
“He’s a smart guy who’s talking about things that I believe he doesn’t have any real insight or knowledge or experience in,” Fauci told The Post. “He keeps talking about things that when you dissect it and parse it out, it doesn’t make any sense.”
