WASHINGTON — For a long time, Senate Republicans, with Rand Paul (R-Ky.) at the forefront, have criticized the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which commenced during the first Trump administration. They have sought to hold certain figures accountable for their alleged roles in the virus’s emergence and the perceived concealment of its origins.
On Wednesday, they will have another opportunity to delve into these issues when Anthony Fauci, the nation’s previous leading infectious disease expert, appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, following a subpoena from Paul.
This hearing might also provide Paul a platform to reiterate his calls for Fauci’s imprisonment.
The relationship between Paul and Fauci has been fraught with tension, with Paul accusing Fauci of deceiving the public about U.S. funding for research at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, where the virus was first reported.
Although no definitive link between the Wuhan lab’s coronavirus research and the pandemic’s onset has been established, Fauci has maintained that a lab leak cannot be dismissed based on existing evidence. The White House recently amended a Covid webpage to assert that the virus originated from a lab funded by the National Institutes of Health, a claim that Trump administration officials assert was concealed from the public by Fauci and others.
The upcoming hearing follows the release of a collection of Fauci’s diary entries from the pandemic period by Paul, which detail Fauci’s personal reflections as he navigated the crisis and became a public figure.
However, inquiries into Fauci’s notes may aim to do more than just clarify the pandemic’s origins or undermine Fauci’s contributions.
Here are some aspects STAT will be monitoring during Wednesday’s hearing:
Will Fauci answer Paul’s questions — and how cautious will he be?
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Paul have both suggested that Fauci’s responses during the hearing could potentially lead to criminal charges for lying to Congress, despite his preemptive pardon from former President Biden.
“He could perjure himself now,” Kennedy remarked on Fox News. “If he lies again, he could be subject to perjury prosecution.” (Fauci has previously denied misleading the public.)
This approach might influence the questions Republicans pose and Fauci’s subsequent answers or refusal to respond.
Fauci is well aware of the potential risks. In a letter declining a committee invitation, Fauci’s legal team stated:
“You have asked Dr. Fauci to appear for a transcribed interview not for any valid legislative purpose, but as a continuation of your relentless campaign to see Dr. Fauci prosecuted for something — anything — that would vindicate your public pledge that he end up, in your own words, ‘behind bars.’”
If Fauci’s testimony opens the door to a criminal investigation, it could escalate the hearing beyond mere political theatrics to a significant development in the ongoing effort to prosecute Fauci, in line with a series of Trump administration prosecutions of perceived adversaries.
Will Fauci’s temper trip him up?
Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for many years, was once respected by politicians across the spectrum. However, since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the dynamic with Paul, the senator from Kentucky, has suggested that enduring public scrutiny from Paul might challenge Fauci’s ability to remain composed.
In September 2020, as Covid vaccines were still being developed, Paul claimed during a Senate hearing that New York had reached herd immunity.
“You are not listening,” Fauci responded to Paul, accusing him of misrepresenting data cited by Robert Redfield, the then-director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
During another Senate hearing in July 2021, Paul pressed Fauci on whether the NIAID had funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology that led to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
In a heated exchange, Fauci retorted, “Sen. Paul, you do not know what you are talking about, quite frankly, and I would like to say that officially. You do not know what you are talking about.”
While Fauci’s temper is noted, and Paul has a knack for provoking him, responses in this context could have serious repercussions.
What will the Trump administration do next?
Although the administration has not explicitly stated any intention to charge Fauci, the Justice Department has pursued charges against another individual connected to Fauci, who did not have the same immunity protections.
David Morens, once a senior adviser to Fauci, was charged with concealing and falsifying information regarding Covid’s origins. Fauci has denied any involvement in Morens’ actions. Kennedy’s involvement in releasing Fauci’s diary also raises questions about whether the federal health department will continue its document transparency regarding its Covid response.
Kennedy has continuously alleged corruption and deceit within America’s health agencies, though without providing supporting evidence. Will Kennedy uncover and disclose more?
How have pandemic politics evolved?
Congressional discussions on health care have largely shifted from pandemic response to issues such as care affordability and vaccines. Wednesday’s hearing will provide insight into how policymakers remember and address one of the most significant public health challenges in recent memory.
Republicans’ questions are likely to reflect skepticism towards public health experts and comprehensive governmental disease responses.
Conversely, Democrats’ questioning of Fauci will offer clues about their public health policy stance in a post-Covid era — and whether they are swayed by Republican efforts to politicize the federal response.
Will the public tune in?
The outlook for Republicans is bleak as the fall midterm elections approach. President Trump’s approval ratings have plummeted, the nation is embroiled in a difficult conflict with Iran, and oil prices have surged.
Presenting the public with another issue may serve to divert attention from these challenges.
Nevertheless, Covid remains a distant memory for many Americans, who might be more preoccupied with everyday concerns like grocery or healthcare costs than the legacy of an 85-year-old government scientist who retired some time ago, evoking memories of a period they prefer to leave behind.
Will we learn anything new about the pandemic?
Based on the content of Fauci’s diaries so far, it seems unlikely. These documents do not substantiate claims that the pandemic originated from a lab or that Fauci or others engaged in a cover-up.
Fauci has already provided extensive testimony to lawmakers, including a closed-door session with a House committee in 2024 where he clarified that government funding did not support gain-of-function research — research that can increase a pathogen’s risk — under a specific regulatory framework.
In June 2024, he addressed the same House committee again, describing the discussion over the virus’s origins as “seriously distorted.”
