Rand Paul blasts Fauci for being treated like president with taxpayer-funded security in retirement

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul blasted Dr. Anthony Fauci for receiving taxpayer-funded security even after he retired from his position as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"The only retired official I know of that gets this kind of treatment is a former president," Paul told "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Tuesday.

Paul had sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra last month asking for details about Fauci's current employment status and special benefits he may receive. 

Watters said a Fox News Freedom of Information Act request revealed that the U.S. Marshals took Fauci's security earlier this year. The Health and Human Services Department had previously told Congress that they had not paid for Fauci's security since January. 

"It's a terrible example of the government lying to its representatives and to the people," Paul said. "I have no idea why this bureaucrat still has a limo driver security detail."

The senator also questioned whether Fauci is still receiving pro bono legal representation and said that the doctor's wealth increased by 30% during the COVID-19 pandemic, so he should be able to pay for his own security detail. 

Fauci was the highest-paid federal employee when he retired, making more than $417,000 in the year before the pandemic and over $434,000 in 2020. He is now a professor at Georgetown University.

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.