“Chris Cuomo went scorched earth on Dr. Scott Atlas Monday after President Donald Trump’s health adviser urged Americans to “rise up” against new COVID-19 safety measures enacted by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). The call was particularly ominous because Whitmer was recently the target of an alleged kidnapping plot by a right-wing paramilitary crew. Whitmer linked the plot to Trump’s hate rhetoric. “Are you kidding me? Shame on you!” the CNN host, who’s a COVID-19 survivor, said. “What kind of doctor would tell people to rise up and resist the only kind of prophylaxis that can help them? What the hell is the matter with this person? Rise up? You rise up and do your job or get the hell out. How could you give this kind of advice?” Whitmer said Monday that Atlas’ comments “took my breath away.” She told MSNBC that Michigan was in the “midst of the worst weeks of this pandemic.” Cuomo also blasted Atlas’ lack of experience with infectious diseases or a pandemic and mocked him for encouraging family get-togethers at Thanksgiving — even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended celebrating virtually ― because it could be an elderly relative’s “last Thanksgiving.” “What the hell are you doing here? Yeah, it could be their last Thanksgiving if you expose them to people who aren’t wearing masks, who aren’t socially distancing and haven’t been doing so and haven’t gotten tested because they somehow think they don’t want to get in on the ‘con’ of COVID,” Cuomo said. Last month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Atlas doesn’t know what he’s doing. “I have real problems with that guy,” the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told The Washington Post. He’s “talking about things that I believe he doesn’t have any real insight or knowledge or experience in.” Check out Cuomo’s rant in the video above. Everyone deserves accurate information about COVID-19. Support journalism without a paywall — and keep it free for everyone — by becoming a HuffPost member today. A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus Here’s the latest science on COVID antibodies. How does the coronavirus spread differently than the flu? What does the new CDC definition of a COVID-19 “close contact” mean for you? Is it safe to see grandparents for the holidays? Therapists predict how this year will shape our mental health.
