'Care to comment?' Jake Tapper's impassioned defense of Anthony Fauci from Rand Paul and 'MAGA media' hasn't aged well at all

Remember last week, when the NIH admitted that they had indeed funded gain-of-function research on coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology?

That was a terrible look for Dr. Anthony Fauci, of course. But it was also a bad look for all of his cheerleaders in the media who refused to even entertain the idea that he might not be the most trustworthy voice with regard to COVID19.

After the NIH news broke, National Review’s Isaac Schorr remembered some of those cheerleaders.

A Wednesday letter from a top NIH official revealed that Fauci was wrong — and Senator Paul was right: The NIH did fund gain-of-function viral research at the Wuhan lab. | by @isaac_schorr https://t.co/IsdeaNvSTG

— National Review (@NRO) October 22, 2021

There are quite a few big names on there, including Glenn Kessler, Brian Stelter, and Ari Melber. But of course no list of journalists with egg on their faces would be complete without the once-respectable-journalist-turned-hack Jake Tapper:

Oh, look who it is… https://t.co/JhekaUyn06 pic.twitter.com/QCUwrfi8N4

— John 'pro-norms' Ekdahl (@JohnEkdahl) October 22, 2021

Look who it is.

“MAGA media?” What kind of unbiased journalist uses that language?

— Back to Pouncing and Seizing (Dr.) (@heartadarkness) October 22, 2021

An unbiased journalist doesn’t say that.

“I don’t want to get into the details…” lol

— JOSH (@J_Dub_Sep) October 22, 2021

“I don’t want to get into the details…” – there’s a reason for that. https://t.co/dTFSXnIQ4S

— Chief Impact Officer BT (@back_ttys) October 22, 2021

Jake is basically saying Fauci is above criticism.

— Chief Impact Officer BT (@back_ttys) October 22, 2021

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Jake Tapper, like Anthony Fauci, is not above criticism. In fact, they both deserve a whole lot of criticism. Both were once estimable representatives of their professions, and both have ultimately been disappointments.

Bonus points for having the gall to start off by complaining about “misinformation”.

— Chief Impact Officer BT (@back_ttys) October 22, 2021

Jumping in front of bullets

— 尬聊 (@HoboJerk) October 22, 2021

Just like a firefighter would.

Ohhhh @jaketapper care to comment??? https://t.co/KH8U6ocmJb

— Ragnar Danneskjöld (@RagnarDanneskj1) October 22, 2021

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Related:

Dr. Anthony Fauci calls Sen. Rand Paul ‘totally incorrect,’ says it’s ‘molecularly impossible’ for gain-of-function research to have led to COVID19