Senator Rand Paul and Doctor Anthony Fauci clashed yet again on January 11, continuing a long-running feud between the two physicians which Fauci has generally gotten the worst of. Senator Paul asked Fauci about his alleged authoritarianism in attacking scientists who have supported the lab leak theory for the origins of Covid-19. Paul has consistently refused to allow Fauci to escape from hearings without being questioned about his dishonesty about the origins of the pandemic.
Rand Paul vs Anthony Fauci again
Senator Paul began his questioning by asking Fauci about his characterization of several epidemiologists from Oxford, Harvard, and Stanford as “fringe.”
Using an email conversation between Fauci and his colleagues, Paul pointed out that Fauci had conspired to publish a “devastating takedown” of the epidemiologists, who supported the lab leak theory.
As always, Fauci immediately became angry and accused the senator of being “dishonest.” It is telling that Fauci could only really deflect, rather than deny the allegations mentioned by the senator.
Doctor Fauci came prepared for this hearing, though. Fauci showed off a printout from Rand Paul’s website which advertised his promise to do everything in his power to fire the doctor.
He went on to claim that he and his family are receiving death threats and that Senator Paul is responsible for these threats and his criticizing him only for political gain.
The exchange came to a close with Senator Paul again pointing out that Fauci could not deny the allegations, instead deflecting immediately and presenting himself as a witch-hunt victim.
Fauci desperately concerned with public image
The two combatants aren’t actually speaking to each other at this point; each knows the other won’t give any ground by now. Senator Paul is instead doing the admirable work of highlighting Fauci’s questionable behavior with these deliberately explosive exchanges.
The “devastating takedown” emails are particularly damning for Fauci. The takedown attempt and the declaration that the lab leak idea is a conspiracy theory was entirely rooted in the desire of Fauci and others to protect their reputations.
Doctor Fauci and the other scientists who condemned the lab leak theory as a conspiracy theory could not possibly have had sufficient evidence to discount the idea, which has only gained in plausibility.
Fauci attempted to silence honest discussion in the scientific community because he had already declared that the lab leak could not have happened and admitting that he had lied about how he came to that position would ruin his public image, which has always been the doctor’s chief concern.
Senator Paul has already caught Fauci in one major lie regarding gain of function research in the Wuhan virology lab. Now the doctor is determined to defend his reputation by claiming that Rand Paul is actually the liar.
The tone of the exchanges alone shows that Doctor Fauci should be removed from his position. As an unelected bureaucrat, his lack of respect for the elected representatives of the American people should not be tolerated.
