Dr. Anthony Fauci found himself under intense scrutiny from House Republicans during a hearing on Monday. Lawmakers are currently investigating his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and exploring various theories regarding the origin of the virus.
Dr. Fauci made an appearance on Capitol Hill during a highly contentious election cycle. Republicans have been critical of his handling of the virus, questioning his decisions on mask mandates, vaccine guidelines, and the origins of the virus.
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Chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, stated in his opening remarks that Americans faced relentless bullying, shame, and censorship simply for raising questions or engaging in debates about topics such as social distancing, masks, vaccines, or the origins of COVID.
Fauci firmly rejected accusations from the GOP that he interfered in research regarding the origins of the pandemic. This includes claims that he attempted to influence scientists to dismiss the possibility that the virus originated from a laboratory.
He vehemently denied the accusation that he had influenced the scientists to change their minds by offering them millions of dollars in grant money, calling it completely false and utterly preposterous.
He countered the second issue by stating that it was a false accusation that he attempted to conceal the potential lab origin of the virus. On the contrary, he emphasized that he encouraged scientists to share their data with authorities, supporting his claim by reading an email.
During the hearing, Committee Republicans raised concerns about a recent development that they believe requires closer examination. They highlighted an email exchange between a former senior adviser of Fauci and an executive from a virus research organization. In this exchange, the adviser suggested that Fauci’s private Gmail account might be used to avoid scrutiny under the Freedom of Information Act and in future public inquiries. In anticipation of the hearing, the Republicans sought access to Fauci’s personal email account and cellphone records.
Fauci denied using his private email for official purposes and strongly condemned and distanced himself from the actions of the adviser.
Fauci clarified that, to the best of his knowledge, he has never used his personal email for official business.
Dr. David Morens, an aide to Fauci, informed Peter Daszak, the President of EcoHealth Alliance, that Fauci might be willing to accept printed copies of documents if Daszak preferred to keep them off the public record. It remains unclear whether or not Fauci actually had any involvement in this matter.
Morens used his private Gmail account to prevent the disclosure of information through FOIA. He used this account to send Daszak government documents and inform him about information that would be made public through a FOIA request related to EcoHealth Alliance grant materials and COVID-19 research.
EcoHealth Alliance, an organization based in the United States, is known for its expertise in virus-hunting. They specialize in conducting research and outreach programs in the fields of global health, conservation, and international development, as stated on their website.
Republicans are accusing the alliance of engaging in gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China, without proper oversight. They claim that the alliance willingly violated multiple requirements of its multi-million dollar National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant and may have made false statements to the NIH.
The House select subcommittee has released a report accusing EcoHealth and Daszak of wrongdoing, leading to their formal debarment. As a result, Health and Human Services has temporarily halted its funding to the organization. Last year, the funding amounted to approximately $2.6 million.
Morens provided testimony in private transcribed interviews before the subcommittee on January 18. Later, he submitted an additional 30,000 pages of documents in response to a subpoena before offering public testimony on May 22.
Republicans on the subcommittee raised concerns about Dr. Fauci’s knowledge of Morens’ conduct, considering that Morens was a close adviser to him. They also questioned whether Dr. Fauci himself may have been involved in any misconduct.
“That’s absolutely awful,” Fauci responded.
