RFK Jr. Calls Out CNN’s Pandemic Failures in Explosive Confrontation

Clear Facts

• Recently released private diaries and emails from Dr. Anthony Fauci reveal he privately acknowledged the lab leak theory while publicly dismissing it, pushed mask mandates without evidence, and knew lockdowns weren’t working
• Fauci’s diary shows he maintained close relationships with CNN journalists including Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, raising serious questions about media objectivity during the pandemic
• HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confronted CNN’s Dana Bash on air, accusing the network of press malpractice and deliberately frightening the American public during COVID-19

A massive release of Anthony Fauci’s private diary entries and emails, made public through Sen. Rand Paul’s efforts, has exposed the former public health official’s troubling duplicity during the pandemic. The 85-year-old comes across as deeply narcissistic, obsessively chronicling his media appearances and celebrity friendships while saying completely different things privately than he told the American people.

The documents reveal Fauci privately acknowledged the lab leak theory was not only possible but likely. He admitted masks were mandated because people were already wearing them and the CDC had pushed it—not because of solid evidence. He knew closures weren’t working, noting cases rose and fell regardless of policy.

Perhaps most damning, Fauci even worried about catching COVID-19 at an event requiring proof of vaccination—then continued demanding vaccine mandates and passports anyway.

The diaries also expose cozy relationships between Fauci and legacy media figures. CNN’s Jake Tapper is mentioned multiple times, including sharing dinners—one in October 2020, just before Fauci demanded Americans cancel Thanksgiving. OutKick reached out to Tapper’s representatives about whether this friendship influenced his coverage. Despite Tapper’s public commitment to transparency, they declined to comment.

CNN’s Dana Bash appears in the diaries as well. According to Fauci, Bash texted him saying he was “a better man” than Rep. Jim Jordan after their heated exchange, adding that Wolf Blitzer thought nobody would blame Fauci if he’d told Jordan to “go f— yourself.”

Bash has ignored this revelation—apparently taking accountability isn’t part of her journalistic integrity. When she interviewed current HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Sunday, she took the opportunity to defend her pandemic coverage and attack Kennedy’s positions.

When Bash asked if President Trump deserved blame for Fauci’s recommended policies, Kennedy pointed out Trump actually opposed the extended lockdowns.

“President Trump, as you recall, wanted to end lockdowns,” Kennedy said.

“I think the thing that did the most damage to our country was the lockdowns, the lockdown that shut down 3.5 million businesses in our country with no due process, no just compensation. All of our churches closed, our schools, and our children are still paying the price for that.”

Kennedy’s broader point is undeniably correct: had Trump ignored Fauci, Deborah Birx, and the public health establishment—either avoiding lockdowns entirely or ending them immediately—he would have been destroyed by the media. Particularly CNN and journalists like Tapper and Bash.

Imagine Fauci on television every night telling an outraged Dana Bash that Trump was ignoring the science and not following the experts. Every negative outcome would have been blamed on Trump’s supposed ignorance—which they did anyway, even when he followed Fauci’s advice.

RFK also correctly identified Fauci’s policies as unconstitutional government overreach.

“We need to protect our constitutional rights, that is the primary obligation of our country,” Kennedy said.

“During COVID, we completely dismantled our constitutional rights. We began censoring people in violation of the First Amendment.”

Bash’s response revealed her priorities. As a self-proclaimed defender of press freedom, she made clear constitutional rights don’t matter during a health crisis.

“Forgive me, but you’re just you’re talking about rights, and I’m asking about a potential public health crisis,” Bash said.

Constitutional rights don’t disappear because of public health issues. Perhaps Bash would understand this if she spent more time reading the Constitution and less time texting Anthony Fauci.

The interview became more heated when Kennedy noted that doctors dissenting from Fauci’s dictates were demonized or silenced. Bash responded, “I really want to move on.”

“Of course you want to move on, ’cause you were part of the problem!” Kennedy fired back.

“No I wasn’t part of the problem!” Bash protested—which is demonstrably false.

“There was absolute press malpractice,” Kennedy said.

“You weren’t doing your job, and your job is a fierce skepticism toward authority. You weren’t doing that. You were beating up on people who were dissenting.”

This is inarguably correct. Bash, Tapper, CNN and many others treated Fauci as infallible. They were friends with him off camera because they share the same political views and hatred for Donald Trump. They abandoned journalism’s core responsibilities because holding Fauci accountable would have made their political party look bad.

Kennedy wasn’t finished.

“You were scaring people!” Kennedy declared.

“Why are you saying that?” Bash shot back.

“Because that was the job of CNN!” Kennedy responded.

“OK stop!” Bash said angrily.

Bash’s defensive reaction is telling. CNN ran a counter for years tracking every COVID-19 case, hospitalization, and death. They relentlessly paraded misinformed “experts” who lied to their audience. Peter Hotez appeared nearly nightly despite being wrong about every aspect of COVID policy. Leana Wen pushed dangerous misinformation, demanding unvaccinated people be locked in their homes long after vaccines proved useless against infection and transmission.

Kennedy’s closing argument perfectly summarized the problem with CNN’s fawning worship of Fauci.

“That’s what you did during COVID,” Kennedy said, referring to Bash deferring to “experts” instead of examining actual data.

“Now we know that Anthony Fauci, who was the expert, was lying about everything, about masks, about the social distancing, about natural immunity, about the transmission from the vaccine, about the source of COVID-19. [Fauci] was lying, and you were punishing people for not trusting the experts. And now you’re rolling out the experts again to talk about something that you have no personal knowledge of.”

Absolutely correct. CNN, Bash, and Tapper unquestioningly believed everything Fauci said because they share his political views. Bash would never consult experts like Dr. Jay Bhattacharya or Dr. Scott Atlas, despite their qualifications, because they disagree with her politically. It didn’t matter that Fauci was obviously wrong then, and it doesn’t matter that he’s wrong now—he had the “right” ideology, earning permanent media protection.

CNN issued a statement after the interview displaying remarkable lack of self-awareness.

“Asking tough, substantive questions to those in power is the job of every journalist, and Dana did hers incredibly well today. We stand behind Dana, her reporting, and CNN’s overall coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The tough questions she never asked Fauci? The tough questions she privately berated Jim Jordan for asking? The statement would be laughable if CNN’s pandemic coverage hadn’t been so harmful to Americans.

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