WATCH: Dr. Fauci says restrictions on liberties have 'nothing to do with liberties'

Dr, Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden, appeared on CNN on Sunday morning to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, during which he discussed a recent spat between himself and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH).

"I don't enjoy those kind of confrontations, but it was very very clear that he was talking about liberties that were being restricted," Fauci said. "This has nothing to do with liberties, Dana.

"We're talking about the fact that 560,000 people have died," Fauci continued. "We're talking about 60-70,000 new infections per day. That's the issue, this is a public health issue, it's not a civil liberties issue."

Fauci's comments come after a Thursday spat between himself and Rep. Jordan. Jordan had asked Fauci when pandemic-related restrictions, rules, and guidelines could be lifted and life could return to normal.

"What measure? Are we just gonna continue this forever? When do we get to the point?" Jordan asked. "What objective outcome do we have to reach before Americans get their liberty and freedoms back?"

Fauci responded to Jordan with a similar statement, arguing that the pandemic restrictions are about saving lives, not about restricting civil liberties.

"You don't think Americans' liberties have been threatened in the past year, Dr. Fauci?" Jordan asked.

"I don't look at this as a liberty thing," Fauci said, to which Jordan responded that "that's obvious."

Jordan listed off a number of first amendment rights he believes to have been assaulted over the past year, including freedom of religion, the right to assemble, the right to protest, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech.

Fauci insisted that Jordan was trying to make the issue a "personal thing."