COLUMBUS, Ohio — A campaign ad you may have already seen running here in central Ohio claims Dr. Anthony Fauci can be fired by members of congress.
Is this true? It’s a viewer question verified by two local political science experts.
THE QUESTION
Can members of Congress fire Dr. Fauci?
THE ANSWER
No.
THE SOURCES
Paul Beck, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University
Brianna Mack, Assistant Professor of Politics and Government, Ohio Wesleyan University
WHAT WE FOUND
In a campaign ad for Senate candidate Mike Gibbons, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul says the following:
"I've stood strong against the mandates of Dr. Fauci, but I need help. That's why I am endorsing Mike Gibbons for Senate. I'm Rand Paul, I know Mike Gibbons will join me in demanding that Fauci is immediately fired and removed from office.”
Viewer Dean Taylor saw the ad and asked our verify team: “Can members of Congress in fact fire someone in a cabinet position?
To verify if Dr. Fauci can be fired, our sources are two local political science experts: Paul Beck from the Ohio State University and Brianna Mack from Ohio Wesleyan University.
"They really cannot,” said Beck. “He is in the executive branch of government.”
Dr. Fauci is a long-standing director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and President Biden chose him to serve as chief medical advisor.
"Now, what Congress could do, is they could pass a bill to bring that particular institute under confirmation by the Senate,” Beck. “So the next time that an appointed somebody, as its director, that person would have to be confirmed by the Senate. They can't do it retroactively."
"Fauci is not necessarily a member of the cabinet, per se,” said Mack. “He's in a position that was actually created by President Trump and remained vacant, until Biden decided to bring it back in with his administration.”
"The only way that they can be “fired” is if they are impeached," she said.
So we can verify: no members of congress cannot fire Dr. Fauci.
Have something you'd like us to verify? Send us an email to verify@10TV.com.