Neuroradiologist Dr. Scott Atlas has apologized for conducting an interview on handling the COVID-19 outbreak with a Russian television network that is widely believed to be a propaganda arm of the Russian government.
Atlas has been a lightning rod for controversy since he joined the White House team in August as an advisor to President Donald Trump on the pandemic. Atlas has been accused of advocating for "herd immunity," a strategy in which the SARS-CoV-2 virus is allowed to circulate among healthy individuals with few lockdown restrictions, while more vulnerable populations are protected. Atlas has denied supporting herd immunity.
On October 31, Atlas conducted an interview with RT in which he claimed that lockdowns are a failure of public policy, discussed his disagreements with Dr. Anthony Fauci, and stated why he believes the economy should reopen.
But RT (previously known as Russia Today), is funded by the Russian government and has widely been described as a propaganda outlet for the country. RT America was required to file as a foreign agent by the U.S. government in 2017.
After his appearance on RT was widely criticized, Atlas apologized for the interview the next day. He said he was unaware of RT's status as a foreign agent, and said he was "taken advantage of."
I recently did an interview with RT and was unaware they are a registered foreign agent. I regret doing the interview and apologize for allowing myself to be taken advantage of. I especially apologize to the national security community who is working hard to defend us.
— Scott W. Atlas (@SWAtlasHoover) November 1, 2020
Atlas is a neuroradiologist previously with Stanford University who prior to joining the Trump Administration was a commentator with the Hoover Institution.
