Dr. Anthony Fauci under increased security after receiving threats: report

BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - The nation's top infectious disease expert is under increased security tonight after receiving threats, according to The Washington Post.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is the doctor advising President Trump on the coronavirus pandemic — a role that’s won him fans but also made him a target, FOX 5 has learned.

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A police source tells FOX 5 an email went out to officers in the district where Fauci lives telling them to pay special attention to his address. The source says it’s not a fixed post for officers, but an effort to keep eyes on his home due to threats.

FOX 5's Lindsay Watts reports she learned about that just before The Washington Post came out with its own reporting saying the federal government is authorizing a security detail for Fauci.

Fauci is the nation’s top infectious disease expert, he’s 79 years old and has worked for five presidents, both Democrats and Republicans.

But some on the far right have called Fauci a member of the deep state, a plant by Hillary Clinton, and one guy even tweeted that Fauci created the coronavirus, a claim that got around 4,500 retweets.

At a press conference Wednesday, President Trump said Fauci didn’t need security and everybody loves him. 

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Fauci does have many fans and may need some protection from them as well.

A police source says late last week an officer did what he was told and went by Fauci’s home. He says the officer saw a man following Fauci’s government vehicle, and that the man got out of his car and approached Fauci asking him to sign his baseball.