Seventeen state attorneys general have demanded that Republican congressional leaders investigate former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci for his role in the COVID-19 response.
The attorneys general are specifically investigating violations of state laws.
“President Biden’s blanket pardon of Dr. Fauci is a shameful attempt to prevent accountability,” South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a statement. “If any of these findings indicate violations of state laws, we are fully prepared to take appropriate action to ensure justice is served.”
Wilson, who is leading the effort, sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, writing that if they “believe that further findings or direct evidence that suggests there may have been any violation of state laws, please include us in any actions taken so that we may evaluate state-level courses of action.”
“Although former President Biden attempted to shield potential bad actors—like Dr. Anthony Fauci—from accountability via preemptive pardons, we are confident that state laws may provide a means to hold all actors accountable for their misconduct,” the letter says.
The letter lists several areas of possible misconduct, including covering up COVID-19’s origins, misleading testimonies, oversight failures, and poor policy decisions.
The attorneys general joining Wilson include those from Tennessee, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Idaho, North Dakota, Utah, Indiana, South Dakota, Arkansas, Montana, Missouri, Kansas, West Virginia, and Nebraska.
Last week, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) issued subpoenas for documents relating to Fauci. Johnson, the Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said the subpoenas surround Fauci’s emails and COVID-19 records.
Describing his action, Johnson noted the records “should have been turned over to me years ago, but the Biden administration opted to keep Congress and the public in the dark.”
