The director of the National Institutes of Health on Sunday erased any doubt that he faced absurd political pressure from former president Donald Trump and unnamed GOP lawmakers as the coronavirus pandemic emerged. Specifically, he said he was pushed to back unproven remedies for COVID-19 and fire Dr. Anthony Fauci.

In an interview with CBS News, Dr. Francis Collins, whose last day on the job is Sunday, said he would have rather resigned than capitulate to the Trump Administration on something he thought was wrong.

“I was not going to compromise scientific principles to just hold onto the job,” he said. He explained that he “got into a difficult place” with Trump after refusing to recommend the use of drugs like hydroxychloroquine to treat the coronavirus, saying that he “got a bit of a talking-to by the president, but I stuck my ground.”