Sen. Rand Paul Comments on Anthony Fauci and U.S. Funding
In a recent interview, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) claimed that Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), “without question” directed American tax dollars to a lab in Wuhan, China.
Paul referenced a statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) concerning Tulsi Gabbard’s release of evidence suggesting that Fauci lied to Congress and aimed U.S. funding toward gain-of-function research related to the pharmaceutical industry’s efforts for a “universal vaccine.”
He pointed to the existence of 120 biolabs across 30 countries, including Ukraine, where Gabbard conducted her research. Paul remarked, “New evidence of long-standing U.S. government funding” had emerged. “I want to know what that experiment entailed. The establishment that defends Fauci claims it’s just a vaccination program against bovine brucellosis.”
“I’m not sure. There could be more going on. Why would this be happening in so many countries, particularly one that is currently at war? Normally, you’d assume there would be some military oversight or a risk of pathogens being released in such situations. So I think understanding the specifics of that experiment is crucial,” he added.
However, Paul noted that Fauci and his advocates argue this is not gain-of-function research.
“It’s essential to understand that such experiments can be so perilous that they’re often conducted in plain sight in developing countries, where there’s less scrutiny. Here, people would question not only the treatment of beagles but also the research on viruses,” he continued. “They’re creating a virus that doesn’t exist in nature, using animal models with human-like lungs, training the virus to adapt to humans. These are, frankly, incredibly dangerous experiments that are largely pointless.”
He stated, “We haven’t produced any viable vaccines or treatments from these studies. While it’s not overly complicated to modify an animal virus to infect humans, it’s something we absolutely shouldn’t be funding.”
When asked about the assertion that Fauci directed taxpayer dollars toward gain-of-function research in Wuhan, Paul insisted, “Without question, he did that.”
Paul recounted Fauci’s defense, indicating they wouldn’t conduct gain-of-function studies and claiming, “It wasn’t really gain-of-function until we discovered it was.” But Paul responded that this reasoning falls flat: “Instead of halting the experiment, Fauci stated, ‘I wouldn’t term it gain-of-function unless it multiplied ten times more than expected.’ But even then, it grew 1,000 times,” he said, adding that “everything he did facilitated that outcome.”
Moreover, Paul mentioned Fauci’s stance, saying, “He remarked that even if a pandemic resulted from gain-of-function research leaking, it would still provide valuable knowledge. I think the families of the 15 million who died might want to contact Fauci and express: ‘For my family, that knowledge wasn’t worth the risk… I lost a loved one because of this failed experiment.’”
