Fauci’s public testimony before the House Oversight and Accountability Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic was eagerly anticipated and followed two days of closed-door interviews in January.
Recent hearings focusing on Fauci’s former subordinates have raised serious concerns about whether he was aware of and complicit in misconduct at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which he led for decades before retiring at the end of 2022.
Despite his years as a government scientist, Fauci made no effort to conceal his disdain when questioned about various theories or claims regarding his actions during the COVID-19 crisis. The hearing was marked by chaotic moments involving both House members and Fauci critics in the audience. Fauci faced multiple questions about former NIAID senior adviser David Morens, a long-time colleague.
Congressional investigators uncovered that Morens appeared to have attempted to evade Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by using his personal email account to communicate with outside entities such as EcoHealth President Peter Daszak.
In a damning email, Morens wrote to Daszak, “I can either send stuff to Tony on his private gmail, or hand it to him at work or at his house. He is too smart to let colleagues send him stuff that could cause trouble.”
Morens also claimed that Fauci was seeking to protect EcoHealth from losing a grant.
Fauci emphatically denied these claims and the implications in the emails. He even stated uncertainty about whether Morens reported directly to him, contradicting Morens’s claims.
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“With respect to his recent testimony before this subcommittee, I knew nothing of Dr. Morens’s actions regarding Dr. Daszak, EcoHealth, or his emails. Despite his title and even though he helped me write scientific papers, Dr. Morens was not an advisor to me on NIAID policy or other substantive issues,” Fauci said in his opening remarks.
Fauci further denied conducting any official business on his personal email, though he conceded it was “conceivable” he communicated with Morens via private email for the purpose of writing “medical scientific chapters” together. Alongside distancing himself from Morens, Fauci minimized his influence on early pandemic guidance.
One frequently revisited issue was the guidance to maintain 6 feet of distance to reduce virus transmission. During his closed-door interview, Fauci claimed the 6-feet guidance “sort of just appeared,” which incensed GOP members.
“It actually came from the CDC. The CDC was responsible for those kinds of guidelines for schools, not me,” Fauci said. “It had little to do with me, since I didn’t make the recommendation. My statement that there was no science behind it means there was no clinical trial that proved it. That’s just one of the things that got distorted.”
He also refuted accusations of covering up or downplaying the potential lab-leak theory on the origins of the pandemic.
“Two participants have testified before this subcommittee that I did not try to steer the discussion in any direction,” Fauci said.
He called claims that he sought to influence or bribe scientists investigating COVID “simply preposterous,” adding he gave “no input” on a published paper favoring a natural origins theory for COVID. He referenced old emails discussing the need for further investigation.
“It is inconceivable that anyone who reads this email could conclude that I was trying to cover up the possibility of a lab leak. I have always kept an open mind to the different possibilities,” he said.
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However, Fauci reiterated his belief that a natural origin was more likely. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) questioning marked the most contentious moment of the hearing. Democrats quickly called for a point of order as she refused to recognize Fauci as a doctor.
“Mr. Fauci, because you’re not a doctor, you’re Mr. Fauci in my few minutes,” Greene said, refusing to allow Fauci to respond. This led Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) to call for a point of order. Greene then called Raskin “Mr. Raskin.”
“Just in terms of the rules of decorum, are we allowed to deny that a doctor is a doctor just because we don’t want him to be a doctor?” Raskin asked subcommittee Chair Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio).
“Yes, because in my time, that man does not deserve to have a license. As a matter of fact, it should be revoked, and he belongs in jail,” Greene responded.
Wenstrup, a physician himself, repeatedly ordered Greene to suspend her line of questioning and stated she “should recognize the doctor as a doctor.”
“Mr. Chairman. Is this what we have become? Is this what we have devolved into?” Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) asked.
After reclaiming her time, Greene held up a photo of Fauci at a Washington Nationals baseball game in 2020 not wearing a mask, accusing him of hypocrisy while children in schools and the public were advised to wear masks.
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“We should be recommending you to be prosecuted,” Greene said, accusing Fauci of “crimes against humanity.” “You belong in prison, Dr. Fauci,” she added.
Greene’s questioning was met with applause by some in the audience who appeared to have come to the hearing to speak out against Fauci. Several attendees wore T-shirts reading “Got Ivermectin?” referencing the antiparasitic drug touted by former President Trump as an effective COVID-19 treatment, despite the FDA stating no evidence supports its efficacy against SARS-CoV-2.
Heckling from public attendees was heard throughout the hearing. One person loudly said, “calm down” after Fauci answered a question. Two hecklers were removed by Capitol Police.
The first instance involved a young woman claiming to be a doctor who interrupted Fauci. Wenstrup had her escorted out before she could finish speaking. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said, “You can take your Starbucks with you,” to the woman as she was led out.
Later, a man was removed after standing up and saying, “Fauci, you belong in jail.” This remark caught Fauci’s attention, prompting him to stop and say, “What is that? We need to listen to that?”
After the hearing ended, several attendees who opposed Fauci gathered behind him, though he did not acknowledge them before quickly exiting through the back.
Immediately following the hearing, committee Democrats told reporters they didn’t believe anything new was learned from Fauci’s testimony.
“Nope, not a single thing, just that they wanted to continue to promote their false allegations and continue to confuse the American people despite Dr. Fauci’s explanations under context and oath,” Ranking Member Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) said.
“He absolutely answered under oath in a way that refuted all the false accusations from Republicans,” Ruiz added. “Whether or not that is clear for them and whether or not they will drop their senseless and baseless accusations, I don’t know.”
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) accused Republicans of conducting “a lot of witch hunts” during the hearing, adding that Fauci’s testimony was consistent with earlier testimony this year.
“The effort to smear and vilify Dr. Fauci parallels their effort to smear and impeach Joe Biden. Both were complete failures because there’s no evidence behind any of it, but it reflects their new style of political character assassination,” said Raskin.
