CNN: Fauci and Osterholm made statements similar to Rand Paul's about cloth masks

On CNN's "OutFront" Wednesday night, host Erin Burnett pointed out that Sen. Rand Paul's comments about the ineffectiveness of masks that led to his suspension from YouTube have also been made by high-ranking health officials including National Institute of Health Director, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Breitbart reported on Thursday, "On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s 'OutFront,' host Erin Burnett pointed out that both White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and former adviser to President Joe Biden’s transition team Dr. Michael Osterholm have made statements about the effectiveness of cloth masks that are similar to the statements on cloth masks that got Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) YouTube account suspended.

Burnett began the discussion by stating, 'Back in early 2020, obviously before the Delta variant, Dr. Fauci did say in an email, ‘The typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through the material.'"

Dr. Fauci: "The typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through the material."https://t.co/xoxApPfDVa

— Christine Niles (@ChristineNiles1) August 12, 2021

CNN's Scott Jennings also pointed out that Osterholm made statements about cloth masks similar to Paul’s.

Burnett added, “I will point out, Sen. Paul did say, in the video, not the part that YouTube says they’re banning him for, but in the video, that he believes N95 masks do work, and, as Scott points out, other medical experts, including Dr. Osterholm, are now raising red flags about cloth masks.”

Breitbart added, "Burnett then played a clip of Osterholm saying during an August 2, 2021 appearance on CNN that 'many of the face cloth coverings that people wear are not very effective in reducing any of the virus movement in or out.”

This makes CNN one of the first known major news outlet to report that high-ranking health officials have made statements similar to Paul's about cloth mask efficiency.

Read the entire story here.