Controversial Trump coronavirus adviser Scott Atlas resigns

Scott Atlas.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Dr. Scott Atlas, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force known for going against public health experts and pushing for herd immunity, submitted his resignation letter to President Trump on Monday, Fox News reports.

During his tenure, Atlas, a neuroradiologist with no infectious disease background, called lockdowns "extremely harmful" and called on schools to reopen and for colleges to let students play sports. In October, he promoted misinformation about the coronavirus on Twitter, sharing false claims about the effectiveness of masks; Twitter removed his tweet, saying it was in violation of its policy against misleading COVID-19 statements.

Fox News obtained Atlas' resignation letter, dated Dec. 1, in which he states that he "worked hard with a singular focus — to save lives and help Americans through this pandemic." Atlas added that he "always relied on the latest science and evidence, without any political consideration or influence." Atlas was a special government employee on a 130-day detail, which was set to expire this week.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.