Forgetful Fauci Displays Selective Amnesia When Questioned by House Coronavirus Select Subcommittee in Closed-Door Sessions This Week
Dr. Anthony Fauci seems to selectively omit the most consequential details of his actions throughout the Covid pandemic, possibly aiming to avoid perjury charges and evade responsibility entirely.
Ex-NIAID Director for more than three decades, Dr. Anthony Fauci sat for two closed-door interviews for the House Coronavirus Select Subcommittee Monday and Tuesday. While the transcripts from the 14 hours of testimony have not yet been made public, those who were in attendance have given a bit of insight into some of the highlights from the two-day inquiry said to have covered vaccines, lockdowns, mask mandates, and the origins of Covid, among other topics.
Monday night, post-testimony, Brad Wenstrup, House Coronavirus Select Subcommittee Chairman released the following statement on Monday’s interview:
“Dr. Fauci’s testimony today uncovered drastic and systemic failures in America’s public health systems. While leading the nation’s COVID-19 response and influencing public narratives, he simultaneously had no idea what was happening under his own jurisdiction at NIAID. Dr. Fauci signed off on all domestic and foreign research grants without reviewing the proposals and admitted that he was unaware if NIAID conducted oversight of the laboratories they fund. Clearly, the American people and the United States government are operating with completely different expectations about the responsibilities of our public health leaders and the accountability of our public health agencies.
It is also concerning that the face of our nation’s response to the world’s worst public health crisis ‘does not recall’ key details about COVID-19 origins and pandemic-era policies. Nearly 1.2 million Americans lost their lives to a potentially preventable pandemic. I look forward to asking Dr. Fauci further questions about mandates, his role in prompting the ‘Proximal Origin’ publication, and his policy positions related to masks and lockdowns. Tomorrow’s testimony will continue the Select Subcommittee’s effort to deliver the answers Americans demand and deserve.”
Key takeaways from Day 1 of Dr. Fauci’s transcribed interview:
Dr. Fauci claimed he “did not recall” pertinent COVID-19 information or conversations more than 100 times.
Dr. Fauci profusely defended his previous Congressional testimony where he stated NIH does not fund gain-of-function research in Wuhan.
He repeatedly played semantics with the definition of gain-of-function in an attempt to avoid conceding that NIH funded potentially dangerous research in China.
Dr. Fauci testified that he signed off on every foreign and domestic NIAID grant without reviewing the proposals.
A 2020 email, previously released by the Select Subcommittee, proved Dr. Fauci was aware of dangerous gain-of-function research occurring in Wuhan, China. Today, he backtracked by arguing he should not have stated that as “fact.”
Dr. Fauci was unable to confirm if NIAID has ANY mechanisms to conduct oversight of the foreign laboratories they fund.
Wenstrup’s comment regarding Fauci’s display of selective memory on more than 100 questions posed to him by the committee was expected considering past testimony from the public face in the response to the pandemic:
“The face of our nation’s response to the world’s worst public health crisis ‘does not recall’ key details about COVID-19 origins and pandemic-era policies.”
This is a slight improvement from 83-year-old Fauci’s November 2022 deposition where he answered “I don’t recall” to 174 questions concerning collusion with social media companies to suppress vital information related to the Covid-19 pandemic, and emails sent to these platforms with demands to censor doctors deemed by the NIH as spreaders of Covid misinformation.
“Here’s a glimpse of what the public missed when Fauci testified behind closed doors yesterday—the same answers he gave in this deposition…,” Te𝕏asLindsay posted on 𝕏:
“Fauci’s claimed memory loss is suspiciously selective and suspiciously intermittent. It occurs only on subjects relevant to his misfeasance and malfeasance, and it occurs only when he is questioned under oath or by Congress,” noted esteemed Rutgers Board of Governors Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Richard Ebright.
Ebright has ardently advocated for enhanced safety measures and stricter regulations in biosafety labs experimenting on deadly viruses for decades. In addition, he has consistently voiced his concerns about the allocation of federal funds toward gain-of-function research, emphasizing the need for a safer research environment.
Monday The New York Post reported:
“Wenstrup said Monday evening that Fauci had given a ‘new definition’ of ‘operational’ gain-of-function research, a phrase that often describes experiments that make viruses more contagious and virulent.
‘I don’t know that every scientist that deals with this type of viral research understands his definition,’ the lawmaker said of Fauci
‘He needs to define his definition of gain-of-function research, because, as I have, through this process in the last three years, read many, many published articles about gain-of-function research or creation of a chimera, this is a new one,’ Wenstrup added.
‘And it varies from what a lot of other scientists use when they report on gain-of-function research.’”
U.S. Right to Know reporter Emily Kopp called out Fauci’s morphing of the definition of gain-of-function research in a series of posts on 𝕏 on Tuesday saying, ‘Fauci appears to be redefining "gain-of-function research’ in order to escape a perjury conviction. He recently said that gain-of-function only includes enhancing viruses ‘highly likely to be known to be very transmissible giving morbidity and mortality in humans.’ Seconds later in the same interview, he gives a different definition.”
Kopp continues, “A moment later, Fauci says gain-of-function research includes tweaks that make flu viruses grow better in eggs, which has nothing to do with enhancing how infectious or deadly a virus is. No wonder there is ‘confusion!’ The definition of gain-of-function changes moment to moment depending on Fauci's legal and rhetorical needs.”
Dr. Fauci’s response to this week’s inquiry is also consistent with his repeated flip-flopping on the origin of the virus when he appeared on media throughout the pandemic, as well as his delivery of Covid response guidelines.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also weighed in on Fauci’s testimony, outside the closed-door interview on Monday, referencing a 2012 paper penned by Fauci, Research on Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Influenza Virus: The Way Forward in which he claimed gain-of-function research had benefits that “outweigh the risks.”
On Wednesday, the Chairman of The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Wenstrup issued a new press release reviewing Tuesday’s testimony from Fauci, as well as a bullet point list of key takeaways.
“After two days of testimony and 14 hours of questioning, many things became evident. During his interview today, Dr. Fauci claimed that the policies and mandates he promoted may unfortunately increase vaccine hesitancy for years to come. He testified that the lab leak hypothesis — which was often suppressed — was, in fact, not a conspiracy theory. Further, the social distancing recommendations forced on Americans ‘sort of just appeared’ and were likely not based on scientific data.
“Dr. Fauci’s transcribed interview revealed systemic failures in our public health system and shed light on serious procedural concerns with our public health authority. It is clear that dissenting opinions were often not considered or suppressed completely. Should a future pandemic arise, America’s response must be guided by scientific facts and conclusive data.
“While we remain frustrated with Dr. Fauci’s inability to recollect COVID-19 information that is important for our investigation, others we have spoken to do recall the facts. I appreciate Dr. Fauci’s willingness to testify privately in front of the Select Subcommittee and look forward to speaking with him further at a public hearing this year. There are many opportunities to do better in the future.”
Key takeaways from day two of Dr. Fauci’s transcribed interview:
Dr. Fauci claimed that the “6 feet apart” social distancing recommendation promoted by federal health officials was likely not based on any data. He characterized the development of the guidance by stating ‘it sort of just appeared.’
Dr. Fauci acknowledged that the lab leak hypothesis is not a conspiracy theory. This comes nearly four years after prompting the publication of the now infamous “Proximal Origin” paper that attempted to vilify and disprove the lab leak hypothesis.
Dr. Fauci admitted that America’s vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic could increase vaccine hesitancy in the future. Previously, Dr. Fauci advocated “that when you make it difficult for people in their lives, they lose their ideological bullshit, and they get vaccinated.”
When American universities approached Dr. Fauci, he advised them to impose vaccine mandates on their students.
Dr. Fauci denies allegations that he visited the CIA during the pandemic or influenced the CIA’s investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
Dr. Fauci played semantics with the definition of a “lab-leak” in an attempt to cover-up the inaccurate conclusions of “Proximal Origin.” It is impossible for Dr. Fauci to defend the conclusion of this publication while simultaneously acknowledging that a lab-leak is possible.
In addition to Fauci’s testimony this week, according to the New York Post, “The COVID panel also subpoenaed one of Fauci’s top advisers” in October for having ‘likely used his personal email to delete COVID origins documents and evade [Freedom of Information Act] laws,” Lawrence Tabak, who served as Acting Director of NIH from December 20, 2021, to November 8, 2023.
Ebright also said on Tuesday that NIH Director Francis Collins will be subjected to a closed-door, transcribed interview held by the House Select Subcommittee set for Friday.
Wednesday evening, the Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Rep. Brad Wenstrup appeared on NewsNation to discuss some of the revelations from the hearings and why they were necessary.
Wenstrup said since Fauci was not being deposed he couldn’t plead the fifth, but that since he was speaking to Congress, he was “vulnerable to perjury.”
The Subcommittee panel stated that Fauci has agreed to a public hearing later in 2024.
Regardless if Fauci is guilty of negligence, malfeasance, bribery or whatever, the bigger issue is staring us in the face. Congress is pathetic.
Congress has delegated most of its responsibility and authority to the Executive branch, or rather, the bureaucracy. The bureaucracy is now the fourth branch of our government. Agencies and programs are created to solve minor or nonexistent problems. Funding is supplied at creation to continue forever with annual increases for inflation. Congressional over-site is a joke; just say “I don’t recall.” they can’t prove you’re lying - ask Hillary. The DOJ and FBI are part of the bureaucracy, so there’s little chance of prosecution. It’s almost impossible to fire any bureaucrat; most are part of a union. So if they don’t agree with the White House, they simply ignore the President.
We are at a place now the Founding Fathers feared most. An unaccountable all-powerful government made up of unelected, faceless and nameless bureaucrats.
And most Americans don’t care as long as they get their benefits every month.