beginning it was like a tsunami
that you needed to shut off
quickly.
And open up as quickly as you
possibly can.
>> You spent the last 54 years
at the national institute of
health in what capacity or
another.
It's a few days, you're gonna
be driving off that campus for
the last time.
Have you thought much about how
that's gonna feel?
>> You know I try to put off
thinking how that's gonna feel,
I think it's gonna be really
quite bittersweet.
I mean as you say, driving on
that campus.
Every day, almost every
Saturday, sometimes many
Sundays.
Literally for the 54 years.
The idea of not officially
coming back on the campus is
kind of a strange feeling,
excitement about what's ahead.
But sadness about leaving a
part of my life that's 54 years
a half century plus --
>> You turned 82 on Christmas
eve?
You're still going strong,
they're still in a pandemic why
are you leaving?
>> Well, I wanted to have at
least where I feel energetic
and passionate about public
health.
I want to be able to do things
that are contributing to
society particularly to my
field of public health.
And perhaps even use what I
have accumulated over the
years.
Which is experience.
The fact that I've had the
privilege of advising seven
presidents.
I've directed the institute for
38 years.
Hopefully I can translate that
with writing, with lecturing,
with advising.
To perhaps inspire the younger
generation of people who are
either in science or
considering going into science.
To maybe get them excited about
doing something that I feel
strongly about.
>> Honestly, and it's a tough
question, but did the security
threats against you when your
family, aided all the political
attacks, did that play any role
in you're --
>> Quite frankly, Chris, no it
did not.
It's a bit bizarre I think it's
hard in age to have health
officials who are doing nothing
more than trying to get people
to be safe, and say they're
save their health in their
lives in.
Families to get attacked in a
way, not only me, but my family,
my children, and wife.
That's really bizarre, but the
frank answer to your question,
and it didn't influence my --
>> You may be done with
political life, but political
life is not gonna be done with
you.
Congressman James comer, the
incoming chair of the oversight
committee says he's had lots of
questions for you.
>> He's done everything is can
to obstruct any type of
investigation, from the
intelligence community.
Early, on and from the trump
administration to try and
determine --
>> What are you gonna do, in
your view, if you become a
punching bag for Republican
critics?
>> If I become a punching bag,
all of punching bag.
But I'm very happy to testify
before any congressional
oversight committee.
I have nothing to hide.
I can explain, validate
everything that I've done.
So, it's gonna be inconvenient
if they actually out there,
essential, a threatening to
make my life miserable.
But, I'm gonna do what I need
to do.
And that's cooperate fully.
Because we have nothing to
hide.
>> You've also taken some hits,
about comments he made last
year.
Here.
>> If they get up and criticize
science, nobody's gonna know
what they're talking about.
But if they get up and really
aim their bullets at Tony Fauci,
people can recognize, there's a
person there, there is a face,
as a vice, you can recognize
you see him on television.
It's easy to criticize, but
they're criticizing science.
Because I represent science.
That's dangerous, to me that's
more dangerous than the slings
and arrows that get thrown at
me.
>> Your critics, accuse you of
hubris.
They say that you expect a
certainty, a disregard for the
views of others.
Can you understand when you say,
I represent science.
>> I can understand how back
can be taken out of context.
I probably had to do it over
again, I would change the
wording a bit of that.
But what I was trying to say,
Chris, is what I was doing was
saying, here is the data, why
vaccines are safe.
And effective.
So, we should be getting people
vaccinated, when you're
criticizing me, you're actually
criticizing the scientific
facts, I'm just the vocal and
visible of vehicle of the
scientific facts, that's what I
meant when I said, you're
criticizing science.
I wasn't meant to be that
wholly me when science that's
not what I was talking about.
>> What do you think of Donald
Trump?
>> Well, I don't want to get
into the politics of it.
So, it's a relevant what I
think about Donald.
Trump >> What do you think of
him from a public health
standpoint.
>> You know I had difficulties
in that administration because
what was happening is that it
became very clear that things
were being said by the
president, and those around him
which were just not based on
any science of facts and data.
In fact, it was contrary to
what the data was showing.
And I felt very uncomfortable
about having to publicly get up
at the white house press room,
and be put on the spot to
directly disagree with the
president.
I have such a great deal of
respect for the --
office of the presidency.
It just made me very
uncomfortable.
But I had to do, it Chris.
I couldn't stand there and be
complicit in saying,
hydroxychloroquine works when
it doesn't.
Bleach works, it doesn't.
And that's how I have all the
centrally, to the public enemy
number one of the far-right.
Which I did not desire to be
put in that position.
But in order to maintain my own