Ex-medical adviser Anthony Fauci grilled by Republicans over COVID-19 handling – WION

Former chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr Anthony Fauci was grilled Monday (Jun 3) as he testified before a Republican-led House panel investigating the origins of COVID-19 and the government's pandemic response. During the testimony, an intense bipartisan divide was on display as Republicans on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic committee hounded him while Democrats came to his rescue.

The hearing comes as several Republicans have alleged that he had been communicating about official work using his private accounts.

It was Fauci's first public appearance on Capitol Hill since leaving government in 2022.

The committee chairman, Rep. Brad Wenstrup of Ohio, started off with a thanking note, lauding Fauci's "willing cooperation," for his voluntary appearance in the hearing.

But he was quick to give Fauci a tough time with his questions as he claimed he allowed his office to be "unaccountable to the American people."

"We have seen officials from your office, in their own writing, discussing breaking federal law, deleting official records, and sharing private government information with grant recipients. The office you directed and those serving under your leadership chose to flout the law and bragged about it," Wenstrup said.

Wenstrup was here referring to Dr David Morens, a senior adviser to Fauci, who had appeared before the panel last week and faced accusations that he had been circumventing federal Freedom of Information Act rules by using a "secret back channel" with Fauci.

Fauci on Monday distanced himself from Morens, saying the latter was not an adviser to him on "institute policy or other substantive issues."

"Let me state for the record, to the best of my knowledge, I have never conducted official business using my personal email," Fauci told the committee.

Fauci also touched upon the claims that he was trying to shield the EcoHealth Alliance, whose funding from the government came to light because of its close links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Notably, Morens quoted an email to the EcoHealth Alliance to level this allegation against Fauci.

"I don't know where he got that, but that's not true," said Fauci.

Fauci stressed the allegation that he influenced scientists working to determine whether the virus had originated in a lab by bribing them with grant money "is absolutely false and simply preposterous." He also disputed the claim that he made efforts to hide that the virus originated in the lab, saying he has "always kept an open mind to the different possibilities."

(With inputs from agencies)

Geopolitical writer at WION, follows Indian foreign policy and world politics, a truth seeker.

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Ex-medical adviser Anthony Fauci grilled by Republicans over COVID-19 handling - WION