‘It’s about the power’: Anthony Fauci mocked as he boasts about turning down $7M a year private sector job to remain NIAID director

WASHINGTON, DC: Dr Anthony Fauci claimed he was being offered $7 million per year jobs from top corporations but he turned down the lucrative job offers to continue as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The 83-year-old Fauci was the highest-paid government employee in the United States when he retired from NIAID in 2022. At the time of his retirement, he was earning $481,000 a year and had a net worth of over $11 million along with his wife.

President Joe Biden's ex-chief medical adviser bragged about the multi-million dollar gigs he was being offered in an upcoming interview on  'CBS News Sunday Morning,' which will be aired on June 16.

Anthony Fauci reveals why he remained NIAID director despite whopping job offers

"So, at the time that I was getting offered it … I was making $125,000, $200,000," the former NIAID director said. "Then I would get offered a job that would get me $5 million, $6 million, $7 million a year," Fauci claimed, as per the New York Post.

The infectious disease expert pointed out that pharmaceutical companies and "private equity" made private sector overtures, but he refused gigs from them because for him, his profession in public health was "priceless".

"[I] really felt what I was doing was having an impact on what I cared about, which was the health of the country and, indirectly, the health of the world, because the United States is such a leader in science, medicine, and public health that what we do, indirectly, spills over onto the rest of the world," Fauci touted his government service.

"And to me, that is priceless."

A recent report by the US taxpayer watchdog OpenTheBooks.com said all the National Institutes of Health employees, including scientists, received $710 million in royalties from pharmaceutical companies amid the Covid-19 pandemic. However, NIH has denied disclosing the royalties each scientist received.

Though Fauci's NIAID subagency received $690 million of the royalties, he asserted he made "zero" of those. He had only admitted to acquiring $122 in royalty for his development of a monoclonal antibody 27 years ago.

After his retirement from NIAID, Fauci joined as a distinguished professor at Georgetown University's Infectious Diseases Division in its School of Medicine.

Internet reacts as Anthony Fauci boasts about turning down lucrative job offers

Rebuking the former NIAID director for bragging about his refusal to join multi-million dollar private gigs, social media users claimed he made more from the government service.

One user wrote, "It’s not about the money, it’s about the power."

Meanwhile, another argued, "He makes more than that in his government job."

"You could turn down something like that when you’re the highest paid civil servant in the United States. Bensonhurst wisenheimer," added a third user.

A fourth response read, "Power, fame, celebrity status and what kind of side income comes with his government role? Those things are hard to give up."

Another person said, "It was more profitable to stay in government."

"Didn’t he “retire”? He could easily have faded into obscurity but he needs constant attention. Hopefully he gets some in the form of an indictment," someone else chimed in.

An individual said, "Ok, what I want to know is just how much did he make in his present position? I can bet it was way more than 7M per year."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.