Indiana University Trustee Sage Steele made an X post Monday implying she wants to waterboard Anthony Fauci, former Chief Medical Advisor to the President.
The post has received over 600,000 views and, predictably in these times, over 500 comments from people who are both in favor and against Steele’s statement.
A former chair of the trustees posted a long rebuke, calling Steele’s post “appalling.”
It also raises a question: Did Steele violate the trustees’ recently instituted code of conduct?
Steele was appointed by Gov. Mike Braun in June 2025, following the passing of a state budget that also gave Braun the authority to appoint IU trustees. Prior to being a trustee, Steele was a television broadcaster working for a variety of stations including ESPN.
In the X post Steele wrote, “Where do I get permission to waterboard this man?? As he hangs upside by his toes, of course. Anyone wanna join me?” In the post, Steele links to a New York Post article which discusses Fauci raising concerns that the Covid-19 vaccine could be linked to miscarriages.
When an adjunct at the IU McKinney School of Law posted her prank making light of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death, local and national politicians from Indiana condemned the action and called for her firing.
There has been no such reaction to Steele.
The IU trustees’ code of conduct includes this: “…Trustees (are to) to act in good-faith and in a manner that the Trustee reasonably believes to be in the best interests of Indiana University and its public purposes, rather than their own interests or the interests of another person or organization, and to avoid conflicts of interest. The Trustee must not act out of expedience, avarice, or self-interest.”
The code also states trustees should avoid situations where their personal interests or those of their immediate family members or close associates would cause a person to think their actions are influenced by considerations other than the best interest of the university.
If a trustee is in violation of the code of the conduct, evidence or allegations would be handled by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Board, the code states. There would be a review and if the trustee is determined to be in violation, the Chair may confidentially inform the governor, and the governor would decide the consequences.
WFIU/WTIU News spoke to Ross Mugler, president of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges and a George Mason University professor emeritus of public policy, on the implications and consequences a post like this can have.
Mugler said personal expression and government responsibility can coexist, but board members should understand that highly visible, public communication could result in consequences to their institutions.
“Public comments by an individual trustee can affect perceptions of the entire board and institutions, potentially dragging the institution, affecting and distracting from institutional priorities, creating questions about board cohesion, and affecting the trust among students, faculty, staff, donors, alumni, policymakers, and the public,” Mugler said.
Mugler noted a gubernatorial appointment means also representing the governor on the board. Steele’s background was a good way to add different voices to the board, he said, specifically one with sports knowledge. He thinks it was a good appointment.
George Mason University professor emeritus of public policy Jim Finkelstein said based on his over two decades of studying university governance, he thinks there is reason to conclude Steele’s violates the code of conduct.
“Particularly its provisions on public comments and on maintaining the trust and confidence of the university community,” Finkelstein wrote in an email statement. “But because the Code does not expressly prohibit this type of social-media statement, I would not characterize a violation as automatic or legally self-evident.”
Finkelstein said the code of conduct anticipates cases, like this one, where misconduct is not self-evident. He said ambiguity is not a reason for the Board to ignore this case, and the code provides the Board with a process of resolving it.
Finkelstein pointed out that X has placed a visibility warning on the post which states, “Post may violate X’s rules against Violent Speech.” He said this reinforces the issue not being just the expression of a controversial opinion.
“There is a meaningful difference between criticizing Dr. Fauci, even in very harsh terms, and publicly expressing a desire to torture him,” he wrote in an email.
Randall Tobias, former chair of the IU Board of Trustees as well as a former U.S. Ambassador and head of U.S. Foreign Aid, condemned Steele’s post.
“I want to go on record that I find it appalling that ANY responsible person would say such a thing about anyone, but especially a person whose public statements reflect on the institution she has been appointed to help govern,” Tobias wrote in a Facebook post. “It is in my view a statement that is both reprehensible and abhorrent and should not stand unchallenged by those who care about the standards and values of Indiana University and those charged with leading it.”
The Board of Trustees has not responded to a request for comment. They have a regularly scheduled meeting Friday at IU Indianapolis.
