Dr. Scott Atlas, Special Coronavirus Adviser To Trump Resigns

White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Scott Atlas, pictured in September, made numerous political blunders during his brief tenure, including a lengthy interview with Russian state media that ran just days before the U.S. presidential election.

Evan Vucci / AP

A controversial coronavirus adviser to the president, Dr. Scott Atlas, resigned Monday, a White House official told NPR.

Atlas, who is not an infectious disease expert and whose brief stint was marred by blunders and controversy, was tapped by the Trump administration to serve as special adviser to the president of the United States, in August. Since then, “the MRI guy” has repeatedly been at odds with the nation’s leading health officials regarding his views on how to combat the spread of the virus, including members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

But throughout his tenure, he has insisted all of the guidance he’s offered was based on scientific research.