WASHINGTON – Dr. Anthony Fauci is under scrutiny regarding emails disclosed by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY.), as per documents obtained by the Post.
The former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases had previously urged other public health officials, including then-Health Director Dr. Francis Collins, to delete certain emails after reading them.
One email from February 2, 2020, shows Collins pleading with colleagues, “Please delete this email after reading.” This message follows a call made on February 1 about the alarming spread of the pandemic originating in Wuhan, China.
Within another part of the email discussion that month, British medical scientist Jeremy Farrar emphasized the need for esteemed scientists and institutions to be cautious in their public responses due to the sensitive nature of reports emerging at that time.
This conversation and the earlier call led to a prominent scientific paper titled “Proximal Origins of SARS-CoV-2,” published the following month, which dismissed the theory that the virus leaked from a lab—a claim being investigated by a GOP-led Committee.
Fauci asserted that he was unaware of the authorship of the paper when speaking to media members in April 2020, also labeling the lab leak theory as “a disappearing shiny object.”
Another email chain, dated July 20, 2020, indicated that Fauci requested one of his associates, Greg Folkers, to “delete this email after reading.” This correspondence was related to a tweet from Paul that criticized Fauci for lauding New York’s COVID-19 response compared to states like Florida and countries like Italy, Spain, and the UK.
Last year, another senior advisor, Dr. David Mollens, was investigated for discussing methods to sidestep the Freedom of Information Act regarding grants to the Wuhan Institute funded by US taxpayers.
During testimony before a House Subcommittee last year, Fauci maintained he had never deleted official government records.
“Dr. Fauci, have you ever deleted any official records?” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) inquired.
In a letter dated September 9, Paul suggested that the emails serve as evidence of public health officials instructing staff to “destroy NIH’s federal records.”
Paul indicated there might be additional records tied to the committee’s efforts to fully grasp the federal government’s actions regarding COVID-19 origins and the use of taxpayer funds in virology studies.
Last July, a taxpayer advocacy group reportedly had improper communication with a Washington Post journalist via a private email account, which was intended to manage public relations around a controversial study involving beagle puppies that Fauci endorsed.
Paul has called for federal prosecution over alleged lies to Congress concerning Wuhan’s grant for gain-of-function research related to coronaviruses, demanding a substantial number of records as part of ongoing investigations.
In his request, the Republican senator proposed scheduling an interview between October 28 and December 11 this year.
Officials at Georgetown University’s Global Health Institute, where Fauci holds a prominent teaching position, did not provide immediate comments.
No legal representatives for former NIAID officials have appeared before the House subcommittee focused on the coronavirus pandemic.
