Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (R) has recently called for legal action against Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Citing claims of dishonesty, Paul has formally referred Fauci to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for potential prosecution on the grounds of providing false testimony to Congress.
At the heart of this matter is the controversial gain of function research and Fauci’s role in funding it.
Back in 2020, Paul was willing to give Fauci, who he then saw as an unbiased public health figure, the benefit of the doubt.
However, the senator’s opinion of Fauci gradually evolved, painting him as a figure who covered up his initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The basis of Senator Paul’s allegations against Fauci centers on an email from early 2020, wherein Fauci summarises a phone call about the developing pandemic.
Paul quoted Fauci’s email as saying, “Yes, we’re suspicious that this could be a manipulated virus because it came from a lab in Wuhan, where they do gain of function research.”
According to Paul, Fauci’s words in the email starkly contrast with his declarations in front of Congress where he denied any involvement in funding gain of function research.
Paul asserted that Fauci’s denial was an “absolute lie.”
“This week we have referred him to the Department of Justice for prosecution, for lying to Congress,” Paul told Breitbart, explaining the decision to call for a legal investigation into Fauci’s alleged perjury.
The senator also mentioned another set of emails involving Fauci and international virologists discussing COVID-19’s unique genetic traits, which appeared indicative of lab manipulation.
The virologists, known supporters of gain of function research, expressed their suspicions to Fauci in a phone call on February 1, 2020.
An email summarizing this phone call was eventually obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and a threatened subpoena.
Senator Paul quoted the email, in which Fauci expressed concern about the potential lab manipulation of the virus and described the type of research being done in Wuhan.
According to Paul, these statements confirmed that Fauci had knowledge about the research and contradicted his claims before Congress.
Furthermore, Paul accused Fauci of attempting to redefine gain of function to protect himself, something Paul himself challenged in a November 2021 hearing.
He asserted that Fauci’s claims were untruthful and that they had clear evidence of Fauci’s funding for the controversial research.
