What Fauci has said about COVID origins, gain-of-function research
Thursday's vote on whether to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress follows years of tension with GOP Sen. Rand Paul, hinging on the origins of the coronavirus and a controversial type of research.
The Senate panel's vote to recommend holding Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress has reignited a longstanding dispute between the former top infectious disease expert and Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. The insurrection primarily centers around the origins of the coronavirus and a branch of biological research known as gain-of-function experiments.
Paul has accused Fauci of downplaying the theory that the virus emerged from a lab in Wuhan, China, rather than spreading naturally from animals to humans. He has also alleged that risky gain-of-function experiments took place at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, with Fauci's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases providing support, and has claimed Fauci lied about these activities.
Fauci has vehemently denied Paul's allegations, stating that he has always maintained an open mind about the virus's origins. He has also rebuked Paul for misrepresenting the types of federally funded research conducted in Wuhan and has stressed that the viruses studied there were unrelated to the one responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.
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