Dr. Anthony Fauci, a former prominent immunologist, who served as the face of the COVID pandemic for almost three years before retiring in 2022, made significant revelations during a closed-door testimony before a House committee last week. These revelations are likely to strengthen the efforts led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and other GOP leaders to hold him accountable.
According to The Federalist’s report on Friday, Dr. Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, faced challenging questions from the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. His responses confirmed the concerns expressed by many in the medical community who had spoken out against him during his tenure.
Although the testimony lasted for 14 hours behind closed doors, the subcommittee has provided an overview of the most significant points. They have also assured the public that a complete transcript of Dr. Fauci’s remarks will be made available soon.
In light of this, the committee has emphasized three noteworthy statements made by Dr. Fauci and has outlined how these statements should be addressed in the future.
“First, Fauci admitted that Covid-19 policies were not grounded in science, confessing that the six feet of social distancing, ‘sort of just appeared.’ Anyone who was ordered to stand an arbitrary distance apart on a jet bridge only to be packed into a plane face to jowl had reached this commonsense conclusion long ago,” The Federalist reported.
However, it marked a significant turnaround for Fauci, who consistently reassured the American public throughout the pandemic that he was “adhering to scientific evidence,” as stated in the report. Additionally, the report highlighted that this acknowledgment was reminiscent of his previous retraction regarding the effectiveness of wearing masks earlier this year.
“During his congressional testimony, Fauci finally conceded that Covid vaccine mandates could make people more broadly vaccine-hesitant,” The Federalist noted further, bringing up the second major admission. “Using the levers of government to force citizens to take an untested vaccine rushed to market under the banner of ‘warp speed’ was never a wise idea. Accusing dissenters of ‘spreading misinformation’ and subjecting them to loss of livelihood and mass ridicule compounded the error.”
The Federalist also noted:
“Lastly, Fauci still refuses to accept accountability for his mistakes. He said he’s still “not convinced” lockdowns hurt kids, despite children suffering an “unprecedented drop in performance” in math and reading scores. According to the federal government, reading test scores among nine-year-olds fell to their lowest point in 30 years, while math scores fell for the first time ever. No one expects perfection from their leaders, but the stubborn refusal to look in the mirror and take responsibility is more than just arrogant — it’s harmful for the ability to fix the problem.”
A mounting group of House Republicans is constructing an argument against the nation’s former leading infectious disease expert, accusing him of providing misleading information to Congress on multiple occasions.
“So, specifically before your committee and also before Rand Paul over in the Senate, Dr. Fauci has, of course, absolved himself of all funding of gain-of-function,” conservative podcaster Benny Johnson said in an interview with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan. “He said he didn’t know anything about it. It is verifiable and demonstrable that he lied. Now, there are codes in Congress. I have a code right here, 18 U.S. Code 1001.”
“Statements—false statements to Congress,” Johnson noted. “Says you can be imprisoned; says you can be imprisoned for eight years if you lie to Congress. It seems like there has never been a more clear-cut case of some individual lying to Congress.”
“Yeah, we can do it—there could be a referral, but you would refer to the Biden Justice Department,” Jordan replied. “I don’t know that — they’re going to pursue that, but you can do that. You could have one of the committees, and the Senate Judiciary Committee could make a referral. I doubt they will with the Democrats in charge.”
“We could do a referral potentially,” the Ohio Republican continued. “I would, frankly, prefer just to have Dr. Fauci come back in and take another round of questions here, but we’re building the case. You know, like, we had Dr. Redfield testify, and Chairman Wenstrup did. I thought he was—I thought he was great. As were the other witnesses that were brought in.”