Fauci testifies before Coronavirus subcommittee, continues to play semantics

RED STATE

On Monday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and key architect of the nation’s COVID-19 response, testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in a closed-door session. 

The subcommittee shared highlights of the seven hours of testimony via an X thread Monday evening. 

🚨DR. FAUCI DAY 1 TAKEAWAYS🚨

Today, @COVIDSelect questioned Dr. Anthony Fauci for seven hours about his role during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Fauci's testimony uncovered drastic and systemic failures in America’s public health systems.

Key highlights👇

— Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (@COVIDSelect) January 9, 2024

Included in the highlights: 

• Fauci claimed he “did not recall” pertinent COVID-19 information or conversations more than 100 times.
• Fauci played semantics and continued to defend his prior testimony, insisting that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) does not fund gain-of-function research in Wuhan.
• Fauci’s response when questioned about a 2020 email previously released by the subcommittee which shows he was aware of gain-of-function research in Wuhan was to backtrack and claim he should not have stated that as “fact.”
• Fauci confirmed he signed off on all NIAID grants (foreign and domestic) without reviewing the proposals.
• Fauci was unable to confirm whether NIAID had any oversight mechanisms regarding labs they fund.

Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) also released a statement regarding Fauci’s testimony.

“Dr. Fauci’s testimony today uncovered drastic and systemic failures in America’s public health systems. While leading the nation’s COVID-19 response and influencing public narratives, he simultaneously had no idea what was happening under his own jurisdiction at NIAID. Dr. Fauci signed off on all domestic and foreign research grants without reviewing the proposals and admitted that he was unaware if NIAID conducted oversight of the laboratories they fund. Clearly, the American people and the United States government are operating with completely different expectations about the responsibilities of our public health leaders and the accountability of our public health agencies.

It is also concerning that the face of our nation’s response to the world’s worst public health crisis ‘does not recall’ key details about COVID-19 origins and pandemic-era policies. Nearly 1.2 million Americans lost their lives to a potentially preventable pandemic. I look forward to asking Dr. Fauci further questions about mandates, his role in prompting the ‘Proximal Origin’ publication, and his policy positions related to masks and lockdowns. Tomorrow’s testimony will continue the Select Subcommittee’s effort to deliver the answers Americans demand and deserve…

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