Anthony Fauci Grilled Over COVID-19 Response

OAN’s Brooke Mallory
Monday, June 3, 2024 3:54 PM

Republican senators on Monday grilled Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was America’s leading infectious disease researcher until he left the government in 2022, on the origins of the COVID-19 virus and the pandemic.

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The Republican-led subcommittee has spent more than a year investigating the country’s response to the epidemic and whether U.S.-funded research in China contributed to it.

Democrats began the meeting by arguing that there is currently no evidence that Fauci committed any wrongdoing.

Fauci, who has been described as a trusted source of information throughout the pandemic, faced 14 hours of grilling behind closed doors over two days in January by a House subcommittee. He was questioned again in public and on camera on Monday for the first time since he left government after more than 50 years in the industry.

Now he faces new doubts about the credibility of his former agency, the National Institutes of Health, after a House subcommittee last month released emails from an NIH colleague about how to get around public records rules.

One such tactic was to avoid discussing controversial topics in official government emails.

Leading scientists initially suggested the virus originated in the wild and spread from animals to humans at the Wuhan market where the outbreak began, centering on exotic game meat being sold for human consumption at the Huanan Seafood Market.

US intelligence agencies still maintain there is “insufficient evidence” to support a lab leak.

But Alina Chang, a molecular biologist at Harvard and MIT, says the COVID-19 virus definitely came from a Chinese lab and that the United States should be held responsible for funding highly dangerous research on a highly contagious virus with tens of millions of taxpayer dollars in facilities with inadequate safety measures.

She also called the accident “the costliest accident in scientific history.”

Her research revealed the alarming reality that the virus originated in China, was strengthened for maximum contagion with the help of the US government, and then ultimately allowed to escape under poorly controlled conditions.

Initially, Fauci said publicly that while he couldn’t rule out both possibilities, there should be more evidence to suggest that COVID-19 had a “natural origin” rather than a laboratory leak.

Researchers in Wuhan had previously collected samples from infected individuals and animals to better understand the highly contagious properties of viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.

Chan said much of the research was done in collaboration with EcoHealth Alliance, a US-based scientific organisation that studies infectious diseases and has received more than $80 million in federal funding since 2002.

However, Fauci now appears to be retracting his earlier comments.

“I’ve said repeatedly that I’m completely open to either possibility, and I’m happy to accept conclusive evidence that would verify or disprove either theory,” Fauci said at Monday’s hearing.

Republicans also accuse Fauci of lying to Congress in May 2022 when he denied that his institute supported “gain of function” research at the Wuhan facility — a process in which viruses are modified in a laboratory to study their effects in the real world.

“Americans have been aggressively bullied, shamed and silenced for simply questioning or discussing issues like social distancing, masks, vaccines or the origins of COVID,” said Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio).

“Whether intentionally or not, you have become so powerful that any disagreement people have with you is hidden or censored on social media. This is why so many Americans are outraged – because this is fundamentally un-American,” Rep. Wenstrup added.

But Fauci vehemently denied Republican allegations that he obstructed research into the origins of the pandemic or tried to stop experts from considering the possibility that the virus originated in a lab.

Tensions rose when one of Dr. Fauci’s most vocal opponents, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG) of Georgia, said he should have his license revoked and be put in jail, moments after being interrupted by her Republican colleague, Speaker Wenstrup. Democrats supported Dr. Fauci in response to Greene’s comments, with Representative Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) calling her comments “totally irresponsible.”

Dr. David Morens, an aide to Fauci, told EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak that it was unclear whether Fauci was involved, but that Fauci could receive a printed copy of the document if Daszak did not want it to be made public record.

According to the documents, Morens personally used his personal Gmail account to hide information from FOIA jurisdiction, including sending official government documents to Daszak warning him that grant materials and information about COVID-19 research from EcoHealth Alliance would be made public through a FOIA request.

Republicans allege the alliance knowingly violated the terms of millions of dollars in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), supported gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China, without sufficient oversight, and reportedly submitted false representations to the NIH.

A House special subcommittee report accused EcoHealth and Daszak of wrongdoing and formally banned them, after which the Department of Health and Human Services suspended the organization from receiving about $2.6 million in U.S. funding last year.

Later, Democratic Rep. Kweisi Mfume of Maryland criticized Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York for questioning Dr Fauci about “cruel animal testing” conducted under his direction at the NIH.

Greene also refused to call Anthony Fauci “Dr.” and held up a poster of dogs undergoing cruel and despicable experiments allegedly led by the NIH.

She condemned animal testing as “disgusting and evil” and accused Fauci of “approving” these purported experiments.

“What do dogs have to do with what we’re here for today?” Fauci asked, deflecting the MTG remarks.

“Previous federally funded experiments on dogs under Dr. Fauci included removing their vocal cords, infesting dogs with ticks and placing them in cages with infectious sand flies,” says the website of Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).

Ernst added, “My understanding is that at least five different NIAID-funded trials of this drug are planned in dogs, including puppies as young as six months of age, and will involve invasive, painful and potentially deadly procedures.”

“Dr. Fauci’s decision to use government funds to test dogs was misguided,” Senator Ernst added. “Such inhumane practices have no place in our government, let alone with taxpayer money. Thankfully, by raising concerns and shedding light on these heinous practices, taxpayers can rest easy knowing their hard-earned money is not being used to mistreat dogs.”

Fauci has also previously said he has received death threats as a result of his high-profile stance since the COVID-19 outbreak began, and he said the threats continued on Monday, even breaking down in tears when asked about it.

“This is very troubling to me, and even more troubling because it involves my wife and three daughters,” Fauci said, his voice trembling.

Then Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) interjected, fawning over him.

“You deserve better. … I worry that the treatment you received will have far-reaching implications for the future of science, especially when done in the public interest,” Dingell said.