Controversial Trump adviser Dr. Scott Atlas reportedly resigned from the White House COVID-19 task force
- Dr. Scott Atlas, who served as a special adviser to President Donald Trump on the coronavirus, resigned from the White House COVID-19 task force Monday, Fox News and CNN reported.
- Atlas, who joined the task force in August, was a Special Government Employee (SGE), meaning his role in the task force was temporary and would not exceed 130 days.
- Atlas' push to reopen the US has sparked backlash from critics, including top US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and CDC director Robert Redfield.
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Dr. Scott Atlas, who served as a special adviser to President Donald Trump on the coronavirus, resigned from the White House COVID-19 task force Monday, Fox News and CNN reported.
Atlas, who joined the task force in August, was a Special Government Employee (SGE), meaning his role in the task force was temporary and would not exceed 130 days. His tenure was set to expire this week, according to the Fox News report. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"I am writing to resign from my position as Special Advisor to the President of the United States," Atlas wrote in a resignation letter obtained by Fox News.
"As time went on, like all scientists and health policy scholars, I learned new information and synthesized the latest data from around the world, all in an effort to provide you with the best information to serve the greater public good," he continued.
"But, perhaps more than anything, my advice was always focused on minimizing all the harms from both the pandemic and the structural policies themselves, especially to the working class and the poor," he wrote, according to Fox News.
Atlas' controversial advice — including his push against states' lockdowns and mask mandates — sparked backlash from critics, including top US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and CDC director Robert Redfield.
"I think a lot of the criticism stems from people who are either politically motivated or are interested in maintaining their own stature in the public eye," Atlas told Business Insider's Ashley Collman in October.
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