Quote:National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases head Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday on MSNBC’s “The Beat” that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was “slanderous” when asked about their heated exchange during a Tuesday Senate hearing.

Host Ari Melber said, “We saw your clash with Senator Paul. For those of us who covered you and listened to you, a major contrast to most of your public speaking. What was so important or concerned you about that? Do you think people listened to what Dr. Rand Paul or what Tucker Carlson was saying and act on it? They may be increasing their risk of getting COVID or getting hurt?”

Fauci replied, “My response is, you know, I don’t any take great pleasure, Ari, in clashing with the senator. I have a great deal of respect for the institution of the Senate of the United States. But he was completely out of line. He totally distorted reality. And he made some inflammatory, and I believe, slanderous remarks about lying under oath, which is completely nonsense. I mean, and some of the things he says are so distorted, and out of tune with reality, I had to call him on that. I didn’t enjoy it, but I had to do that because he was completely out of line. Totally inappropriate.”