Former Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira jumped into the political fight over Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday, blasting the former COVID-19 pandemic adviser after Fauci declined to answer questions during a Republican-led Senate hearing.
Teixeira, a three-time MLB All-Star and the Yankees’ 2009 World Series champion, posted on X that Fauci’s refusal to respond to senators was “totally unacceptable.”
“Fauci is refusing to answer ANY questions in today’s Senate hearing - totally unacceptable," Teixeira wrote in an X post. “The American people deserve transparency and accountability from ALL government officials - including career bureaucrats like Fauci."
Teixeira’s comments came after Sen. Josh Hawley questioned Fauci during the hearing and Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment rather than answer questions including “What day of the week is it today,” “What color tie are you wearing” and “What color is the carpet in front of you?”
Fauci repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment rights throughout Wednesday’s hearing.
In his opening statement, Fauci also addressed Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who issued the subpoena for the hearing, and said Paul has an “obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution.”
Teixeira, who is running on Aug. 28 in Texas’s 21st Congressional District, lives in the Austin area and was born in Maryland. His major-league career began with the Texas Rangers, where he spent the first four-plus years of his career before finishing with eight seasons in New York.
He ended his playing days with the Yankees and won the World Series in 2009.
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