Maxine Waters tells Jim Jordan to 'shut your mouth' during heated exchange with Fauci

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Thursday railed against Dr. Anthony Fauci in a heated exchange on Capitol Hill — prompting one lawmaker to call on him to "shut your mouth."

During a congressional hearing on the COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan confronted Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, and demanded he explain exactly when Americans will no longer have to follow public health measures and will "get their liberty and freedoms back." Fauci appeared to grow frustrated as he pushed back on that characterization.

"We're not talking about liberties," Fauci told Jordan. "We're talking about a pandemic that has killed 560,000 Americans. That's what we're talking about."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

Fauci told Jordan that the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States is still "unacceptably high," which is why certain public health guidelines and restrictions still remain in place. But Jordan listed off a series of examples he claimed proved Americans have had their freedoms unnecessarily curtailed during the pandemic while suggesting Fauci is to blame for this. Fauci shot back that Jordan was "making this a personal thing" when "it isn't," and at one point told the congressman, "You're ranting again."

Things eventually got so chaotic, with Jordan continuing to talk as the hearing was moving on to the next lawmaker, that Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) stepped in to tell the Ohio congressman, "You need to respect the chair and shut your mouth!" Watch the moment below. Brendan Morrow