An NIH employee has reportedly been using a pseudonym to bash Fauci on a conservative website
It turns out the prolific managing editor for the conservative website RedState, who has spent months bashing Dr. Anthony Fauci for his role in the U.S.'s coronavirus response, actually works for the same federal agency as the target of his criticism, The Daily Beast reports.
The Daily Beast discovered the writer, who uses the pseudonym "streiff" for his posts, is William Crews, a public affairs specialist for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, the same National Institutes of Health branch that is headed by Fauci. On RedState, Crews has described the pandemic as a "massive fraud" and baselessly accused his colleagues at the NIAID of contributing to a left-wing conspiracy to undermine President Trump and destroy the U.S. economy.
When it comes to Fauci, Crews has grown increasingly aggressive in his criticism. Back in March in the early days of the pandemic, one post actually heaped praise on Fauci, calling him one of "the most respected experts on infectious diseases in the world," but Crews eventually went on to refer to Fauci as a "mask Nazi" who failed Trump "at every turn."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Through his posts insisting virus mitigation efforts have no basis in science, Crews has reportedly been contributing to the coronavirus disinformation campaign about which his superiors at NIAID have expressed concern. After the Daily Beast informed NIAID of some of Crews' posts, the agency said he would "retire" from his position, but did not elaborate further on the situation. Read more at The Daily Beast.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
The de-extinction process to bring woolly mammoths back to life
Under the Radar Biotechnology start-up's stem cell research brings possibility of genetically engineered species a step closer
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Today's political cartoons - March 17, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - history repeating, the Pope's white flag, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Derelict homes, Welsh mines, and vinyl
Podcast What can we do about abandoned property? Are old mines still doing us harm? And what do LP sales tell us about the economy?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published