NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday said he did not authorize the Trump campaign to feature him in a new ad boasting about the president's response to the coronavirus pandemic -- President Trump and the campaign beg to differ.
"The comments attributed to me without my permission in the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context from a broad statement I made months ago about the efforts of federal public health officials," the director of The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in a statement to CNN.
Fauci added, "In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate."
In the Trump campaign video, Fauci says, "I can't imagine that ... anyone could be doing more.
The president tweeted, "They are indeed Dr. Fauci’s own words. We have done a “phenomenal” job, according to certain governors. Many people agree ... And now come the Vaccines & Cures, long ahead of projections!"
Trump was responding to a reporter's tweet from earlier in the day which included campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh's statement: "These are Dr. Fauci’s own words. The video is from a nationally broadcast television interview in which Dr. Fauci was praising the work of the Trump administration. The words spoken are accurate, and directly from Dr. Fauci’s mouth.”