Republicans demand Fauci testify before House committees and say they want access to unredacted versions of emails released this week as they probe Chinese lab leak theory
Republicans stepped up their pressure on Dr. Anthony Fauci on Thursday demanding access to his unredacted emails and asking that he appear again before House committees to answer questions about whether COVID-19 could have leaked from a Chinese laboratory.
He is back in the firing line with the release of a trove of emails, revealing that he knew about the possibility of a lab leak early in the pandemic.
His critics seized on them to say he knew more about 'gain of function' research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology than he let on.
House Republican whip Steve Scalise and James Comer wrote to the chairs of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus and the House Oversight Committee to say it was 'imperative' that Fauci appeared before them.
Senior Republicans have written to their Democratic counterparts demanding that Dr. Anthony Fauci answer fresh questions about evidence revealed in his emails about his knowledge of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic
Rep. Steve Scalise (left), ranking member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus, wants more answers from Dr. Anthony Fauci (right) following the release of a cache of emails
Security personnel keep watch outside Wuhan Institute of Virology during a visit by a World Health Organization team of investigators in February
They said the release of Fauci’s emails, obtained by news organizations under Freedom of Information laws 'debunk many Democrats’ claims from the past year, including that Fauci and other scientists were muzzled by the Trump administration.
'It is now imperative that Dr. Fauci come before our Committees to provide information related to the origins of the novel coronavirus as well as the U.S. government’s role in funding research that may have contributed to the development of the novel coronavirus, they said.
'The American people have a right to know what our government knew about the origins of the pandemic and when it was known.'
They also called on the committee's chairman and chairwoman to demand unredacted versions of Fauci's newly released emails.
The cache triggered an intervention from former President Donald Trump, who said the communications revealed he was right all along.
He demanded that China pay ten trillion dollars for its role in causing 'death and destruction.'
'Now everyone, even the so-called "enemy,” are beginning to say that President Trump was right about the China Virus coming from the Wuhan Lab,' he said in the second of two statements he issued in quick succession.
'The correspondence between Dr. Fauci and China speaks too loudly for anyone to ignore.'
Fauci has been a favorite target of conservatives throughout the pandemic, attracting fire for his support for social distancing and mask wearing.
They have accused him of flip-flopping for the way he initially resisted closing borders and wearing masks before endorsing both.
But his role in the early days of the crisis is under fresh scrutiny with the release of his emails.
In particular, Republicans claim the communications show Fauci knew the Wuhan Institute of Virology - at the center of the lab leak hypothesis for the origins of the COVID-19 crisis - was carrying out experiments with genetically engineered coronaviruses.
And they include messages in February last year with a key deputy in which they discuss whether his National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases might have ties to the work.
Sen. Rand Paul is among those demanding fresh answers to whether Fauci still stands by his testimony that the U.S. did not fund 'gain of function' research on coronaviruses.
Fauci defended his actions, telling CNN on Thursday that the messages had been taken out of context.
And the White House issued a public defense of his work.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki said he retained the confidence of Biden and added: 'He's been an undeniable asset in our country's pandemic response.'
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