Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) cautioned on Monday that Dr. Anthony Fauci’s departure would not halt a “full-throated probe” into the origins of the Chinese coronavirus after the NIAID director announced that his high-profile positions will expire in December.
NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation Main Anthony Fauci, who also serves as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, revealed on Monday that he would step down from both positions in December “to explore the next chapter of my career.”
Fauci, 81, had previously stated that he intended to resign from his position at the conclusion of Biden’s first term in office; however, his announcement pushes back that date significantly to follow the midterm elections, where Republicans are hoping to gain control of both the House and the Senate.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) issued a warning, though, that Republicans in the House would not let Fauci’s early retirement stop them from highlighting him as they look into the origins of the coronavirus.
“Fauci’s departure will not stop a thorough examination of the pandemic’s causes. Any talk he took part in concerning the lab leak will be the subject of an oath-taken testimony request from him,” Paul said.
A GOP majority in the House, a subject Paul and Fauci have fought over, may result in similar inquiries into the virus’s origins, the longstanding adversary of Fauci has warned.
In November 2021, Paul and Fauci got into a heated argument about how Fauci had, in essence, changed the concept of gain-of-function research to fit his own needs.
Since it is obvious that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) did, in fact, sponsor gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab: “We’re aware that you erased gain-of-function to the NIH website.”
“Simply because you altered the definition on the NIH website, you are asserting that it does not exist. This is awful, and you’re desperately attempting to avoid the concept that we should strive to stop a pandemic from leaking from a facility. And you essentially tried to cover your ass by changing the term on your website. You amended the website to include a definition that excludes the dangerous research that is now being conducted, which is what you did. We’re not going to progress unless you acknowledge the danger. You must acknowledge how perilous this study was. They have now received criticism from both the NIH and your own organization. Even when they claim to have become sicker, you’re still unable to acknowledge that they improved in function. They became more deadly. Virus is brand-new. Not a gain-of-function.”
This month, Dr. Richard Ebright testified before Congress that Dr. Anthony Fauci’s comments on gain-of-function studies, including his denials, have been “untruthful.”
“I stand by what I said. The NIH and director Dr. Fauci have made false assertions to the public and current politicians on several occasions,” according to Ebright. “Those claims are patently incorrect, therefore I don’t see why they are being made.”