Photo: Alamy
Ahead of his compelling speech at the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday, President Trump sat for an interview with popular Libertarian podcaster Tim Pool. The pair discussed various topics, including the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic and the 45th president’s historic visit to North Korea.
As the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic prepares to grill former Chief White House Medical Advisor and NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci on June 3 for his role in downplaying the Covid lab-leak theory, Pool expressed curiosity about how a second Trump administration would deal with the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) director. Fauci has been accused by multiple lawmakers, namely Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., of lying to Congress while under oath.
Pool directly asked President Trump, “Will there be accountability for the lying to Congress when you get to appoint your new AG, deputy AG?”
The 45th president instantly responded, “Yeah, and we’ll take a look at statute of limitations, because you know the statute of limitations are quite long, and we’re gonna be looking at that very seriously, yeah.”
Pool referenced multiple calls for Fauci’s prosecution, including from billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, as he pointed out that “Fauci lied to Congress about the gain of function research that was going on,” noting that it was confirmed during the recent congressional testimony from a senior adviser for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
President Trump reminded Pool that he “stopped the funding” that was in place under previous administrations. The 45th president argued that “Fauci wasn’t a big player” during the Trump administration compared to the dominant role he played once Biden took office.
He told Pool that he often went against Fauci’s recommendations, including his decision to ban travel from China despite Fauci’s pushback. He recounted his resistance to a nationally controlled response to the pandemic, noting that he “gave the power to governors” to handle their respective states the way they saw fit. He told Pool that “when people realize that, it’s something that they respect.”