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Scott Atlas, special adviser to Trump on coronavirus, resigns

WASHINGTON — Dr. Scott Atlas, who has served as President Donald Trump’s special adviser on the novel coronavirus, resigned Monday, multiple media outlets reported.

Atlas, a neuroradiologist and fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, has no expertise or experience in infectious diseases or epidemiology and routinely used his position to attack “science-based public health measures” such as masks, stay-at-home orders and social distancing, The Guardian reported.

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Atlas joined the administration in August as a “special government employee,” meaning his 130-day detail was slated to expire this week, Fox News reported.

According to The Guardian, Atlas most recently raised eyebrows – and calls for his resignation – by calling on Michigan residents to “rise up” against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s virus-related restrictions.

Meanwhile, both Stanford University and the university’s faculty senate have publicly rebuked his stances on addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, such as his push to attain herd immunity, which public health and infectious disease experts contend is not only unrealistic but would lead to millions of deaths, the outlet reported.

“I worked hard with a singular focus: to save lives and help Americans through this pandemic,” Atlas wrote in his resignation letter, dated Dec. 1 and obtained by Fox News, claiming that he “always relied on the latest science and evidence, without any political consideration or influence.”

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