Rand Paul Subpoenas Anthony Fauci For Senate Testimony On COVID-19 Origins

Sen. Rand Paul has subpoenaed Dr. Anthony Fauci to testify before the Senate next month as part of an investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paul announced the move after accusing Fauci of failing to honor a previous commitment to appear before the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

“We’ve been negotiating with him for material and for testimony. This has gone on for some time,” Paul said during an interview with CNBC. “He slow-walked us.”

The Kentucky Republican said the hearing will focus on Fauci’s role during the pandemic, including questions surrounding federal funding of research and allegations that he misled Congress about gain-of-function research.

Paul also indicated he intends to examine the controversial pardon Fauci received from then-President Joe Biden before leaving office.

“There will be questions about did he seek the pardon, what specific crimes did he seek, did he ever meet with President Biden,” Paul said. “But there are also questions about can you have a pardon for a nonspecific crime, can you have a vague pardon.”

The senator acknowledged that securing Fauci’s appearance may require a legal battle.

“I think it’s going to be a challenge to get him. I think we will have to fight him in court,” Paul said. “But he needs to testify.”

The renewed scrutiny comes after outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released documents that she said raised fresh questions about the federal government’s handling of the pandemic response.

According to Paul, those records include information suggesting officials shielded Fauci from a whistleblower complaint alleging he provided misleading testimony to Congress regarding gain-of-function research connected to coronavirus studies.

Fauci, who became the public face of the federal government’s COVID-19 response, has repeatedly denied allegations that he lied to Congress and has maintained that the research in question did not meet the definition of gain-of-function work.

If the subpoena is enforced, the hearing would mark one of Fauci’s most significant appearances before Congress since leaving government service and could reignite debate over the origins of the pandemic and the federal response that followed.