rand paul fauci
© Getty ImagesSenator Rand Paul (left) and Anthony Fauci (right)
Sen. Rand Paul slammed Dr. Anthony Fauci for ignoring "100 years of vaccine science" and accused Fauci of being a "petty tyrant."

"Fauci continues to ignore 100 years of vaccine science. His only real theme is 'do what I say' even when it makes no sense," Paul said on Twitter Monday. "If you've recovered or been vaccinated - go about your life. Eat, drink, work, open the schools. Enough with the petty tyrants.

Paul's comment was in response to remarks Fauci made in an interview discouraging vaccinated people from dining indoors.


"No, it's still not OK for the simple reason that the level of infection, the dynamics of infection in the community, are still really disturbingly high," Fauci said when asked if people could start dining in restaurants again. "If you're not vaccinated, please get vaccinated as soon as vaccines becomes available to you. And if you are vaccinated, please remember that you still have to be careful and not get involved in crowded situations, particularly indoors where people are not wearing masks."

Paul has repeatedly clashed with Fauci over his guidance since the pandemic began, most notably during tense Senate hearings.


"If we're not spreading the infection, isn't it just theater?" Paul asked Fauci about his mask guidance during one such hearing last month. "If you've had the vaccine and you're wearing two masks, isn't that theater?"

"No, it's not — here we go again with the theater," Fauci responded.

"Let's get down to the facts," Fauci shot back, explaining that the studies Paul cited showing people who have been infected have little chance of being reinfected only "look at in vitro examination of memory immunity" and that the authors of the studies "specifically say, 'This does not necessarily pertain to the actual protection. It's in vitro."

Paul has also been a vocal advocate of allowing vaccinated people to return to normal.

"Rather than listening to government scolds, look to the science of immunology: and once you're 2 weeks out from the vaccine, or have recovered from the actual infection, trash your mask and live free again," Paul said last month in response to updated CDC guidelines that urged vaccinated people to continue wearings masks.