Twitter Insanity

Elon Musk told his 120 million Twitter followers on Sunday that Dr. Anthony Fauci should be criminally prosecuted, echoing talking points from the far-right conspiracy theorists he has increasingly aligned himself with on the platform. The attack came as Fauci, the nation’s top immunologist, prepares to step down from his role overseeing the nation’s COVID-19 response. Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and has served five decades in public health. Musk provided no explanation for his message, but it followed a prior tweet in which he shared a meme mocking past coronavirus lockdowns. His tweet 0received support from far-right Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R). Until it was reactivated under Musk, Greene’s personal account had been permanently suspended from Twitter for spreading COVID-19 misinformation. She has also advocated against transgender acceptance and equality. Fauci has faced intense backlash 0including death threats for advocating for COVID-19 vaccines and social mandates, including mask usage, that aimed to prevent the virus from spreading. More 0than 1 million people have died from the virus in the U.S. since early 2020.