On Tuesday, the House Select Subcommittee on Coronavirus Pandemic wrapped up the second and final day of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s transcribed testimony. In this concluding session, Fauci, the former advisor to two presidents and the retired head of the National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), faced closed-door questioning about his involvement in suppressing debates about the lab-leak theory, as well as his stances on pandemic mandates and policies related to masks and lockdowns.
According to the statement issued by Subcommittee Chairman Representative Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), key takeaways of Fauci’s Tuesday testimony included the following:
• Dr. Fauci claimed that the “6 feet apart” social distancing recommendation promoted by federal health officials was likely not based on any data. He characterized the development of the guidance by stating “it sort of just appeared.”
• Dr. Fauci acknowledged that the lab leak hypothesis is not a conspiracy theory. This comes nearly four years after prompting the publication of the now infamous “Proximal Origin” paper that attempted to vilify and disprove the lab leak hypothesis.
• Dr. Fauci admitted that America’s vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic could increase vaccine hesitancy in the future. Previously, Dr. Fauci advocated “that when you make it difficult for people in their lives, they lose their ideological bullshit, and they get vaccinated.”
• When American universities approached Dr. Fauci, he advised them to impose vaccine mandates on their students.
• Dr. Fauci denies allegations that he visited the CIA during the pandemic or influenced the CIA’s investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
• Dr. Fauci played semantics with the definition of a “lab-leak” in an attempt to cover-up the inaccurate conclusions of “Proximal Origin.” It is impossible for Dr. Fauci to defend the conclusion of this publication while simultaneously acknowledging that a lab-leak is possible.
A public hearing with Dr. Fauci is scheduled for later this year, with the specific date yet to be determined.
The key takeaways of the first day of Fauci’s hearings are available here:
House Covid Hearings: Fauci “Does Not Recall” Much About Pandemic
