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White House Blocked Anthony Fauci From Appearing On ABC News Show, Host Says

The White House refused to allow Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease expert on the administration’s coronavirus task force, to appear on Sunday’s episode of ABC’s “This Week,” host Jon Karl said.

Fauci had been willing to appear, but the White House wouldn’t sign off, Karl said in the show’s opening.

“We had hoped to talk to Dr. Fauci about both the outbreak at the White House and across the country,” Karl said. “He was more than willing to join us, but the White House wouldn’t allow you to hear from the nation’s leading expert on the coronavirus.

“In fact, they wouldn’t allow any of the medical experts on the president’s own coronavirus task force to appear on this show,” he added.

At least two other networks ― CBS and NBC ― also tried and failed to book Fauci for their respective Sunday morning political talk shows this week.

CBS’ “Face the Nation” asks for Fauci to appear on the show every week, but he’s not specifically offered as a guest, a CBS source told HuffPost. The show has, however, booked other top officials to discuss the pandemic, including Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House’s coronavirus task force and chief of staff Mark Meadows.

A spokesperson for NBC’s “Meet the Press” said Fauci hasn’t appeared on the show in nearly six months, despite weekly requests for him to join.

In a statement to HuffPost, a spokesperson for “Fox News Sunday” said the show requested an interview this week with Vice President Mike Pence, who has led the White House’s coronavirus task force since February, but the White House declined.

Neither the White House nor the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where Fauci serves as director, immediately responded to requests...

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