Dr. Anthony Fauci Says He Has ‘Nothing To Hide’ During Grilling Over His Response To Covid-19 Pandemic

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former CDC director, endured criticism during a House hearing on Monday morning for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fauci declared he has “nothing to hide” in his opening statement before the Select Subcommittee on the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Conservatives have hammered him on his response to the virus – everything from mask mandates to vaccine guidelines and even origin possibilities.

“Americans were aggressively bullied, shamed and silenced for merely questioning or debating issues such as social distancing, masks, vaccines or the origins of COVID,” Ohio Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R) stated as the hearing started. 

Wenstrup, who stated that he wanted accountability in the hearing, accused Fauci of promoting “one of the most invasive regimes of domestic policy the U.S. has ever seen.”

Fauci mentioned these issues during his opening statement, labeling certain matters “seriously distorted.”

He forcefully rejected accusations that he interfered in research about the pandemic’s origins, such as claims that he attempted to sway scientists away from determining that the virus came from a lab.

“The accusation being circulated that I influenced the scientists to change their minds by bribing them with millions of dollars in grant money is absolutely false and simply preposterous,” he claimed. “The second issue is a false accusation, and I tried to cover up the possibility that the virus originated from a lab. In fact, the truth is exactly the opposite.”

He then read an email encouraging scientists to report their data to authorities.

California Rep. Raul Ruiz (D) wanted to focus on the future – and accused conservatives of using Fauci as a scapegoat for errors made during the early days of the pandemic by the previous administration.

“After 15 months, the select subcommittee does not possess a shred of evidence to substantiate these extreme allegations [conservatives] have levied against Dr. Fauci for nearly four years,” Ruiz stated.

Progressives on the panel defended Fauci and announced the release of a staff report “debunking … the dangerous narrative” about him.

Fauci denied charges that he used his private email for government issues. 

“Let me state for the record that to the best of my knowledge, I have never conducted official business via my personal email,” Fauci asserted.

The panel then released a staff memorandum it argues that “presents overwhelming evidence” from Fauci’s aide’s email revealing misconduct and possibly illegal actions. 

Fauci has face numerous threats due to his position at the CDC.

On August 4, 2022, Thomas Patrick Connally Jr. was sentenced to three years in prison for sending Fauci threatening emails to his NIAID work email account through an encrypted email service.