Fact Check: Is Dr Fauci refusing to leave home for fear of being sent to The Hague?

WASHINGTON, DC: Days after a CIA whistleblower’s COVID cover-up allegation against Dr Anthony Fauci, a post on social media platforms claims that a security firm manager said that Fauci feels unsafe leaving his home and fears being forcefully sent to The Hague. The claim has sparked mockery, requiring a fact-check.

Claim: Dr Anthony Fauci is refusing to leave his home

A viral post on X alleged that Fauci “no longer feels safe” leaving his home, according to a private security firm that recently left him for non-payment.

“He’s not worried about average Joe coming for him,” Security Operations Manager Joe Barron allegedly said. “He’s worried about being snatched up and sent to the Hague in a shipping crate.” 

“He’s convinced it will be the Germans who get him. They lost a million people.” The post also stated that Fauci is wanted in 37 countries for alleged crimes against humanity. 

The post has garnered more than two hundred thousand views as of this writing, sparking mockery from online users, indicating many believe the claim is true. A few others questioned its authenticity.

Fact Check: The claim originated as satire

However, the claim is false, as there are no reports of Fauci refusing to leave home for fear of being sent to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The claim that he is wanted in 37 countries for crimes against humanity is also baseless.

There are also no reports that the private security firm recently left due to the lack of payment. A search for the security firm manager’s name and for the alleged remark he made yielded no credible reports by prominent news media outlets.

However, the search revealed that the name ‘Joe Barron’ is a fictional name often found in posts linked to ‘America’s Last Line Of Defense,’ a popular Facebook parody account which describes itself in the bio as ‘Nothing on this page is rea.’ Hence, the post was intended as a satire made for the sake of engagement.

Dr Anthony Fauci accused of suppressing lab-leak theory

Fauci is well known for being the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for almost four decades and was a key public health adviser during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he played a major role in shaping the US response regarding vaccines, mask guidance, and other strategies to control the virus's spread.  

In May, the debate about the origins of COVID-19 heated up, with a former CIA officer telling the Senate Homeland Security Committee that Fauci had a direct and "intentional" role in pushing the intelligence community to abandon the lab leak theory.