Sen. Rand Paul, a physician himself, accused Anthony Fauci of lying to Congress and funding Gain-of-Function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, and suggested that Fauci’s funding ultimately led to the COVID-19 pandemic that led governments to severely restrict basic freedoms and allegedly killed millions of people.
Paul, who has previously said that Fauci could be culpable for the entire COVID-19 pandemic because of his agency’s role in funding research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, first gave Fauci the opportunity to retract previous statements he made to Congress, when he declared that there was no Gain-of-Function research being funded by the decades-long government employee’s federal agency. Fauci immediately became hostile toward Paul.
“Knowing that it is a crime to lie to Congress, do you wish to retract your statement of May 11, where you claimed that the NIH never funded gain of function research in Wuhan,” said Paul. Fauci then attempted to respond, but forgot to activate his microphone in his apparent rush to confront the sitting Senator. “I have never lied before the Congress and I do not retract that statement,” said Fauci.
Paul shot back, “You take an animal virus, and you increase its transmissability to humans. You say that’s not gain of function?” Fauci then began what amount to petty insults against Paul. “Senator Paul, you do not know what you’re talking about quite frankly, and I want to say that officially, you do not know what you’re talking about,” Fauci angrily responded.
In response, Paul explained that he was operating from the official definition of Gain-of-Function created by Fauci and his NIH. “This is your definition that you guys wrote, it says that scientific research that increases the transmissability among mammals is gain of function. They took animal viruses that only occur in animals and they increased their transmissability to humans,” said Paul, who then appeared to accuse Fauci of funding the research that started the COVID-19 pandemic. “How you can say that’s not gain of function, it’s a dance, and you’re dancing around this because you’re trying to obscure responsibility for 4 million people dying around the world from a pandemic.”
RAND PAUL: Knowing it's a crime to lie to Congress, do you wish to retract your statement where you said the NIH never funded gain of function research in Wuhan?
FAUCI: I've never lied before Congress & I don't retract that statement … you don't know what you're talking about pic.twitter.com/UtWoO2KHsb
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 20, 2021
After Fauci again attempted to tell Paul that he did not know what he was talking about, Paul noted, “All the evidence is pointing that it came from the lab and there will be responsibility for the people who funded the lab, including yourself.” Fauci said that he resents Paul’s alleged “lie” and claims that scientists have verified it is “molecularly impossible” for COVID-19 to have started in the Wuhan Institute of Virology with funding approved by Fauci.
“No one is saying those viruses caused the pandemic. What we’re alleging is that gain of function research was going on in that lab and NIH funded it,” said Paul. “You can’t get away from it, it meets your definition, and you are obfuscating the truth.”
Thank you Dr Rand Paul, for exposing the Fascist Gnome, MD…pic.twitter.com/tUc9gjLcit
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) July 20, 2021
Earlier this year, Paul declared that Fauci perjured himself before Congress. “He lied to the American people,” Paul said at the time, as National File reported. “There was gain of function research going on with this Dr. Shi Zhengli at the Wuhan institute. In her paper, she actually thanks Dr. Fauci and the NIAID, which is a part of NIH that Dr. Fauci runs, it’s listed at the end of the paper. This paper was funded by NIAID research, and it lists a ten digit number that identifies the research money that she got from the United States.” Today is the first time Fauci has denied lying to Congress publicly.
