Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) took the bold step this week of referring Dr. Anthony Fauci to the Justice Department, requesting an investigation into the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The referral centers on allegations that Fauci lied to the Senate under oath regarding the U.S.-funded research on coronaviruses in Wuhan, China.
Paul’s move, described by him as an “extraordinary step” during a “Fox & Friends” interview, stemmed from Fauci’s May 2021 Senate testimony. Dr. Fauci categorically stated at that time, “The NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.”
However, recent documents, including emails, tell a different story.
I’ve taken the extraordinary step of going to the local U.S. attorney in D.C. to launch a probe and press criminal charges against Tony Fauci. The problem is there are partisans throughout the legal system. People are seeing that you don’t get prosecuted if you’re a Democrat in…
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) August 10, 2023
🚨The evidence is overwhelming – Fauci lied to Congress! When will the Department of Justice do its job? https://t.co/rF7NgcL27m
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) August 10, 2023
Paul, in a letter to D.C. U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, pointedly wrote, “Before Congress, Dr. Fauci denied funding gain-of-function research, to the press he claims to have a dispassionate view on the lab leak hypothesis, and in private he acknowledges gain-of-function research at WIV to his colleagues.”
Fauci’s February 1, 2020, email seemingly counters his public testimony. It acknowledges that “scientists in Wuhan University are known to have been working on gain-of-function experiments.” More strikingly, the email hints at a suspicion that specific virus mutations “may have been intentionally inserted.”
JUST IN: Rand Paul has referred Dr. Fauci to top D.C. prosecutor for criminal charges for lying under oath about COVID origins.
Prosecute / Fauci.
The move by Paul comes just weeks after he submitted a criminal referral for Fauci with the DOJ.
If convicted, Fauci could face up… pic.twitter.com/igxfO1pZzR
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 9, 2023
Gain-of-function research is no trivial matter. This research involves the genetic alteration of pathogens, potentially making them more infectious or deadly. The connection between this research and the origins of COVID-19 has sparked debates. With the surfacing of these emails, there’s a growing concern over its transparency.
Further muddying the waters is the Government Accountability Office’s June 2023 report, which detailed that the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and Wuhan University received NIH funding to the tune of $2,168,345 between 2014 and 2021.
As Paul reiterated, a congressional hearing is not a stage for political plays, especially when the “health and well-being of American citizens is on the line.”
A criminal investigation into Fauci is a matter of accountability for Paul. The heated exchanges between the pair over the past two years, revolving around the origins of COVID-19 and gain-of-function research, point to a more significant issue of trust and transparency in our institutions. With Fauci’s contradictory statements in the limelight, Paul’s moves seem directed at ensuring that government officials, regardless of their stature, are held to the same standard of truth as every American.
After all, as Paul highlighted, government officials convicted of misleading Congress could face up to five years in prison. And while no legal action has yet been taken, the narrative is straightforward: The truth, especially in public health matters, cannot be sidelined.
