Fauci calls for Fox News to fire Jesse Watters over 'kill shot' comments

Dr. Anthony Fauci is calling for Jesse Watters to be fired after the Fox News personality suggested people should "ambush" him and "go in for the kill shot."

On Tuesday, CNN host John Berman asked Fauci for his reaction to Watters telling a conservative crowd to "ambush you with what he said was some kind of rhetorical kill shot." President Biden's chief medical adviser called the comments "horrible" and "such a reflection of the craziness that goes on in society."

"You have some guy out there saying that people should be giving me a kill shot, to ambush me?" Fauci said. "I mean, what kind of craziness is there in society these days. That's awful that he said that. … The guy should be fired on the spot."

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Speaking at a Turning Point USA event earlier this week, Watters suggested confronting Fauci and telling him that "you funded risky research at a sloppy Chinese lab," remarks he compared to a "kill shot" that would be "deadly." Watters added that after telling this to Fauci, "Boom, he is dead! He is dead! He's done!" Watters also suggested such a confrontation with Fauci should be filmed so it could air on Fox News.

"Get us that," Watters said, adding, "just make sure it's legal."

Fauci appeared to be unaware of what network Watters was affiliated with, but he suggested to CNN "he's gonna go very likely unaccountable," adding it's "crazy" that "whatever network he's on is not going to do anything."

Fauci previously spoke out after Fox Nation personality Lara Logan compared him to a Nazi doctor. "What I find striking… is how she gets no discipline whatsoever from the Fox network, how they can let her say that with no comment and no disciplinary action," he said. "I'm astounded by that."

Update: Fox News in a statement said "it's more than clear that Jesse Watters was using a metaphor for asking hard-hitting questions to Dr. Fauci about gain-of-function research and his words have been twisted completely out of context."