Stanford University Appears To Distance Itself From Scott Atlas After ‘Rise Up’ Tweet

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Dr. Scott Atlas, member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, speaks at a news conference in the briefing room of the White House in September.

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Atlas has come under fire for a tweet Sunday referencing Michigan’s new restrictions, where he said: «The only way this stops is if people rise up. You get what you accept. He also added the hashtags «FreedomMatters and «StepUp.

Atlas later tweeted: «NEVER would I endorse or incite violence. NEVER!!

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Witmer, a first-term Democrat, said Atlas’ response towards the state’s upcoming «three week pause that seeks to limit some indoor activities in the state «took my breath away.

Those restrictions, set to take effect on Wednesday, include a temporary halt of in-person classes at college and high schools in the state. They also will close indoor service at bars and restaurants.

The episode seems to have renewed tensions between the Trump administration and Whitmer, who the FBI said was the target of a kidnapping plot by men linked to a far-right militia group earlier this year.

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This is not the first time comments from Atlas have run counter to those at Stanford.

A group of about 100 infectious disease physicians, immunologists and health policy experts signed a letter in September calling «attention to the falsehoods and misrepresentations of science recently fostered by Dr. Scott Atlas.

The letter said many of his comments and statements «run counter to established science and, by doing so, undermine public health policy. In response, Atlas reportedly threated to sue his colleagues.