Dr. Scott Atlas has handed over his resignation from his post in President Donald Trump's administration, a person working with the task force has confirmed. The former White House coronavirus task force member has been highly controversial during his tenure.
A source familiar with the matter told CNN that Atlas handed his resignation letter to President Donald Trump on Nov. 30. Atlas, who was an SGE (Special Government Employee), had a window of 130 days during which he could serve, and the aforesaid window was slated to close this week.
Another source close to the White House's team focused on controlling the spread of the coronavirus pandemic told CNN that Atlas' exit had been widely seen as good news. The source explained this is because Atlas' demeaned theories will not have a seat at the table anymore.
In his resignation letter, which was obtained by Fox News, Atlas boastfully promoted the Trump administration's attempt to control the still-raging coronavirus pandemic. Further, in the resignation letter, which was dated Dec. 1, he wished Biden's incoming administration all the best.
Atlas' months-long role in the White House was plagued with controversy. He became Trump's close adviser on the pandemic, so it was hardly surprising that he reiterated Trump's baseless claims about the crisis. Some of his public stances on the pandemic include pushing for schools to reopen this fall and insist on reopening college sports.
Back in Oct., Twitter removed a tweet from Atlas that undermined the importance of wearing face masks, citing a violation of its Misleading Information Policy for COVID-19, NBC News reported. Atlas did not attend a call held by Vice President Mike Pence with state leaders on Monday, according to a list of those who participate.
The task force members and Pence discussed vaccine distribution and safety as the coronavirus pandemic continues to tighten its grip on Americans. Atlas wrote a resignation letter, confirming that he was stepping down as Special Advisor to the President of the United States and thanked the president for giving him the chance to serve the American people.
He wrote that he had a singular focus to save lives and help Americans through the coronavirus pandemic. Noting that he worked hard to control the spread of the virus, Atlas said he always referred to the latest science and evidence, without any political influence or consideration.
Atlas has faced strong criticism throughout his tenure for saying that lockdowns are harmful to Americans and pushing for a reopening. He noted that they came up with rational guidelines for safely opening schools, which involves using a recently developed testing program, and keeping a national stockpile of drugs for any crises in the future.