Kansas Republican announces plans to push a bill that will target government officials’ disclosure of financial records, named after Dr. Anthony Fauci.
QUICK FACTS:
- Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) announced his plans to introduce the Financial Accountability for Uniquely Compensated Individuals (FAUCI) Act.
- The act is in direct response to National Institute of Health Director Dr. Anthony Fauci’s lack of transparency regarding his financial records, according to The Hill.
- The FAUCI Act will include a requirement that the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) website allow the public to access financial records for federal officials, such as Fauci.
- Marshall’s tribute to Fauci comes after a heated exchange between the pair that ended with Fauci calling Marshall a “moron” on a hot microphone.
MORE KEY FACTS:
- When Marshall questioned the NIH director about why it was virtually impossible to access the public official’s records, Fauci countered saying that his financial statements were already available to the public.
- The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit journalism center, reported that they had to “politely badger” the NIH office after weeks of no response on receiving financial records.
- It took the journalist over two months in all to receive the records requested from the OGE form 201 to the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) Freedom of Information office.
BACKGROUND:
- Fauci has had more than one heated exchange with senators on Capitol Hill, including Marshall and Sen. Rand Paul, as Yahoo News reported.
- The recent headline-grabbing exchange saw Fauci retort to Marshall that he didn’t “understand” why Marshall was asking about his financial records.
- “My financial disclosure is public knowledge and has been so for the last 37 years or so,” Fauci responded to questions saying. “All you have to do is ask for it,” Fauci added. “You’re so misinformed, it’s extraordinary.”
