Former White House medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci participated in a seven-hour closed-door meeting on Monday answering questions about the pandemic origins, the government pandemic response, and sharing his insights on preparing for potential future outbreaks.
Last year, Fauci committed to two consecutive days of transcribed interviews with the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.
After the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) issued a statement in which he expressed concern over how Fauci, “the face of our nation’s response to the world’s worst public health crisis,” appeared to be clueless and forgetful about the crucial pandemic matters:
Dr. Fauci’s testimony today uncovered drastic and systemic failures in America’s public health systems. While leading the nation’s COVID-19 response and influencing public narratives, he simultaneously had no idea what was happening under his own jurisdiction at NIAID. Dr. Fauci signed off on all domestic and foreign research grants without reviewing the proposals and admitted that he was unaware if NIAID conducted oversight of the laboratories they fund. Clearly, the American people and the United States government are operating with completely different expectations about the responsibilities of our public health leaders and the accountability of our public health agencies.
Wenstrup highlighted key takeaways from the first day of the interview, noting that Dr. Fauci repeatedly claimed not to recall crucial Covid-related information or conversations more than 100 times. Dr. Fauci staunchly defended his earlier statements that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) did not fund gain-of-function research in Wuhan.
The chairman underscored the significance of a 2020 email, previously disclosed, revealing Dr. Fauci’s awareness of risky gain-of-function research in Wuhan. In Monday’s interview, Dr. Fauci backtracked, saying that his initial statement should not be treated as an absolute “fact.” Additionally, Dr. Fauci could not confirm the existence of any oversight mechanisms for NIAID concerning the foreign laboratories they fund, heightening concerns about control and accountability. Moreover, Fauci informed lawmakers that he approved each foreign and domestic NIAID grant without even reviewing the proposals.
Representative Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.), a member of the subcommittee participating in the hearing, said Fauci “belongs in jail” for his role in the pandemic origin.
Today, on the second day of interviews, Fauci will be questioned about pandemic mandates, his role in the “Proximal Origin” publication (the landmark pandemic study apparently influenced by Drs. Fauci and Francis Collins to disprove a lab-leak theory), and his positions on policies related to masks and lockdowns.
