Anthony Fauci slammed as he denies suppressing Covid-19 lab leak theory during House hearing on pandemic

WASHINGTON, DC: Dr Anthony Fauci, the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, found himself in the hot seat on Monday, June 3, as he testified before the House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

The hearing was marked by intense scrutiny over Fauci's handling of pandemic-era policies and his role in addressing the origin of Covid-19.

Denial of suppression allegations

Fauci vehemently denied allegations of attempting to suppress the theory that the COVID-19 pandemic originated from a lab leak in Wuhan, China.

In his opening statement, Fauci insisted that he never sought to stifle discussion surrounding the lab leak theory. He detailed his involvement in discussions with international virologists, emphasizing that he neither influenced nor steered the discourse towards a specific conclusion, Fox News reported.

Lawmakers wasted no time in pressing Fauci on a range of pandemic-related issues. Rep. Michael Cloud of Texas questioned Fauci on the justification for various pandemic restrictions, including business closures, church closures, and mask mandates for young children.

"Mask mandates for children under the age of five? There’s scientific evidence supporting that?" Cloud asked. 

"There was no study that did masks on kids before," Fauci conceded. "You couldn’t do the study. You had to respond to an epidemic that was killing 4-5,000 Americans a day." 

Fauci also addressed the controversy surrounding the CDC's six-feet distancing rule.

"The CDC was responsible for those kinds of guidelines for schools, not me. So when I said that, it just appeared. It appeared. Was there any science behind it? What I meant by no science behind it is that there wasn't a controlled trial. That said, compare six foot with three feet with ten feet. So there wasn't that scientific evaluation of it."

"What I believe the CDC used for their reason to say six feet is that studies years ago showed that when you're dealing with droplets, which at the time that the CDC made that recommendation, it was felt that the transmission was primarily through droplet, not aerosol, which is incorrect because we know now aerosol does play a role," he added. "That's the reason why they did it. It had little to do with me since I didn't make the recommendation."

Defense of vaccine mandates

In response to inquiries about vaccine mandates, Fauci reiterated the life-saving efficacy of vaccines. "Vaccines save lives. It is very, very clear that vaccines have saved hundreds of thousands of Americans and millions worldwide," he declared.

"In the beginning, it clearly prevented infection in a certain percentage of people but the durability of its ability to prevent infection was not long. It was measured in months," he added. 

Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene and entrepreneur Elon Musk challenged Fauci's assertion of representing science, with the latter stating, "Anyone who says that questioning them is questioning science itself cannot be regarded as a scientist." 

Nonetheless, Fauci testified, "I am a scientist who uses the scientific method to gain information." 

Fauci provided insight into the early discussions surrounding the lab leak theory.

According to him, on Jan. 31, 2020, he "was informed through phone calls with Jeremy Farrar, then director of the Wellcome Trust in the UK, and then with Kristian Anderson, a highly regarded scientist at Scripps Research Institute, that they and Eddie Holmes, a world-class evolutionary biologist from Australia, were concerned that the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 suggested that the virus could have been manipulated in a lab." 

Fauci claimed that the following day he participated in a conference call "with about a dozen international virologists to discuss this possibility versus a spillover from an animal reservoir." He described the discussion as "lively with arguments for both possibilities." 

"It was decided that several participants would more carefully examine the genomic sequence after this further examination. Several who at first were concerned about lab manipulation became convinced that the virus was not deliberately manipulated. They concluded that the most likely scenario was the spillover from an animal reservoir, although they still kept an open mind," he testified. "They appropriately published their opinion in the peer-reviewed literature."

Fauci adamantly refuted allegations of influencing scientists or engaging in a cover-up.

"The accusation being circulated that I influenced these scientists to change their minds by bribing them with millions of dollars in grant money is absolutely false and simply preposterous. I had no input into the content of the published paper," he declared. "The second issue is a false accusation that I tried to cover up the possibility that the virus originated from a lab. In fact, the truth is exactly the opposite." 

Anthony Fauci slammed on social media

Despite his testimony, the former Director of the NIAID was widely criticized on social media for denying his attempts to suppress the lab leak theory.

"Perjury. A parade of perjury," one posted on X.

"Lying Little Weasel Fauci," another wrote.

"Does anyone really believe this guy or is it just mouth service?" someone else asked.

"Does he know the definition of 'suppress'?" a comment read.

"THROW HIM IN JAIL!" another fumed.

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