White House adviser apologizes for interview with Russian state TV
Dr. Scott Atlas, an adviser on the White House coronavirus task force, has apologized after appearing on a Russian state-funded television network to criticize lockdown measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Atlas addressed the matter via Twitter on Sunday, saying he was "unaware" that RT was a registered foreign agent.
"I regret doing the interview and apologize for allowing myself to be taken advantage of," Atlas tweeted. "I especially apologize to the national security community who is working hard to defend us."
Atlas, a neuroradiologist who was handpicked by President Donald Trump to join the coronavirus task force in August, told RT during a lengthy interview on Saturday that he considered the pandemic to be largely under control and that lockdowns are actually "killing people."
RT, formerly called Russia Today, is registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a U.S. law that applies to people or companies disseminating information in the United States on behalf of foreign governments, political parties and other "foreign principals."
U.S. intelligence agencies have alleged that RT, which broadcasts around the world in English, served as a propaganda outlet for the Kremlin as part of efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Russia denies interfering.