Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has promised to investigate Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director, as soon as Republicans regain their majority in the Senate.
Sen. Paul commented on Dr. Fauci during an interview with Fox News anchor and podcast host Lisa Boothe. According to a report from The Hill, Paul stated that he would subpoena Fauci’s records.
“If we win in November, if I’m chairman of a committee, if I have subpoena power, we’ll go after every one of [Fauci’s] records,” he said. “We’ll have an investigator go through this piece-by-piece because we don’t need this to happen again.”
It’s no secret that the relationship between Sen. Paul and Dr. Fauci has been tumultuous at best. The two political figures have been battling it out over the last two years regarding their differing approaches to combating the Covid pandemic.
In January, Sen. Paul criticized Dr. Fauci’s often-touted claim to represent “science” during a heated hearing at Capitol Hill. “The idea that a government official would claim to unilaterally represent science and that any criticism of that official would be considered a criticism of science itself is quite dangerous,” the Kentucky senator remarked.
Additionally, during an ABC podcast, Dr. Fauci hinted that he might retire from his position in March as he has been thinking about slowly stepping away from his various duties. Whether or not he actually will do so remains to be seen.
Sen. Paul, a doctor of ophthalmology, has frequently alleged that Dr. Fauci was involved in funding a virology lab in Wuhan, China, in connection with the creation of the coronavirus, according to a report from The Hill.
“As soon as Republicans get the majority, I pledge to the American people we are investigating Dr. Fauci to the fullest extent of the law,” Sen. Paul promised. “We are putting him under oath. We are getting the documents.”
