Rand Paul to follow Fauci fireworks with criminal investigation: ‘He’s lying and he should be punished’

Senator Rand Paul will be asking the Department of Justice for a criminal probe into Dr. Anthony Fauci after accusing him of intimidating scientists and lying about funding gain-of-function research.

Following an explosive and contentious clash in the Senate between Paul (R-KY) and Fauci and chaired by Democrat Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota on Tuesday, the senator unloaded on the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He is contending that scientists and researchers are intimidated by the epidemiologist because he controls the funding they receive. Paul made the allegation in an interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on “Fox News Primetime.”

“All Dr. Fauci could do was sputter and call me liar – but he never at any point in time addressed any of the facts that we laid out that the money he was giving to Wuhan was indeed for gain-of-function,” Paul stated.

In a separate interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday, Paul asserted that he will be criminally referring Fauci to the Justice Department over his purported lies concerning gain-of-function funding. “I will be sending a letter to the Department of Justice, asking for a criminal referral because he has lied to Congress,” he said.

(Video Credit: Fox News)

Paul pointed out to Kilmeade that doctors, scientists, and researchers rely on NIAID funding that Fauci has the final word on.

Kilmeade then referenced Johns Hopkins physician Dr. Marty Makary telling him that the NIH doled out $40 billion in research grants in 2020 alone, but less than one-half of one percent went to COVID-related projects. Makary also said that Fauci should be ashamed of that fact.

“He has been [at NIH] for 40 years; probably 39 years too long. But he controls all the funding,” Paul stated. “So, people are deathly afraid of him. Researchers will not speak out. Why have there not been other scientists?”

The senator says that he receives letters from scientists that disagree with Fauci adamantly, but they are afraid to speak out against him because of funding.

“They are very distrustful of what he is saying. They don’t think he is making sense and reading the science accurately,” Paul remarked. “They’re afraid to speak out because many of them are university scientists and they depend on NIH funds: To cross him means it’s the last money you will ever get.”

Fauci has a “significant conflict of interest,” according to Paul, over the Wuhan lab mess because he was “at the top of the food chain” of funding that was connected to it. Now, Fauci claims over and over again that none of the funding went to deadly gain-of-function research.

“All he is saying is oh, well, the research now doesn’t meet our definition,” Paul commented. “He is dancing around the truth. Why? Because if this disease came from the lab and they were funding gain of function, guess what? There is, at the very least, moral culpability he has for the beginning of the pandemic.”

The senator told Hannity in his interview that under Fauci’s leadership the NIH “funded the Wuhan lab” and that “he has at least tangential responsibility” for the pandemic.

“We have scientists that will line up by the dozens to say that the research he was funding was gain-of-function. He’s doing this because he has a self-interest to cover his tracks and to cover his connection to Wuhan lab. Now does he deserve all the blame? No, there’s still some conjecture as to whether or not it came from the lab. But he’s lying about whether or not he funded gain-of-function research, and yes, he should be punished,” Paul charged.

(Video Credit: Fox News | Sean Hannity)

During the hearing, a visibly shaken Fauci tried to regain his footing by attacking the lawmaker, saying “Senator Paul, you do not know what you are talking about.” He also told the Senate committee that the research Paul referred to “was judged by qualified staff up and down the chain as not being gain-of-function.”

“There will be responsibility for those who funded the lab, including yourself,” Paul said to Fauci.

Fauci went on to say before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee: “I totally resent the lie you are now propagating, senator.”

“Dr. Fauci, as you are aware it is a crime to lie to Congress, Section 1001 of the US Criminal Code. Critics say a felony and a five-year penalty for lying to Congress,” Paul told him.

The senator was cheered on by commenters on Twitter:

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.
Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles