Sen. Rand Paul blasted Dr. Fauci during a Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee hearing Thursday, demanding he resign from his position after he refused to admit that his agency funded gain-of-function research.
“Until you accept responsibility, we’re not going to get anywhere close to trying to prevent another lab leak of this dangerous sort of experiment,” Paul said. “You won’t admit that it’s dangerous, and for that lack of judgement, I think it’s time that you resign.”
As reported by the Daily Signal, National Institutes of Health Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak admitted in an October letter that his agency funded gain-of-function research in China. The letter said that EcoHealth Alliance failed to tell the institute that it had made dangerous, lab-generated coronaviruses between June 2018 and May 2019.
“So,” Paul said, “when EcoHealth Alliance took the virus SHC-014 and combined it with WIV1 and caused a recombinant virus that doesn’t exist in nature and made mice sicker - mice with humanized cells - you’re saying that’s not gain-of-function?”
Fauci began to say, “according to the framework and guidelines…” but Paul interrupted him.
Fauci said he disagreed with Paul’s comments and that the research was not related to gain-of-function research.
“I disagree with so many of the things that you’ve said,” Fauci said.
Paul noted that the same day Tabak sent the letter, the NIH removed the gain-of-function definition from its website.
“I can get back to that in a moment if we have time,” Fauci said.
Paul said Fauci is “defining away” gain-of-function research “saying it doesn’t exist.”
“This is terrible,” Paul said. “You’re completely trying to escape the idea that we should do something about trying to prevent a pandemic from leaking from a lab.”
“The preponderance of evidence now points towards this coming from a lab, and what you’ve done is change the definition on your website to try to cover your ass, basically. That’s what you’ve done. You changed the website to try to have a new definition that doesn’t include the risky research that’s going on,” Paul added. “Until you admit it is risky, we won’t get anywhere. You have to admit this research was risky. The [National Institutes of Health] has now rebuked them. Your own agency has rebuked them. The thing is, you are still unwilling to admit they gained in function when they say they became sicker. They gained in lethality. It’s a new virus. That’s not gain-of-function?”
“According to the definition that is currently operable,” Fauci responded. You said I’m unwilling to take any responsibility for the current pandemic. I have no responsibility for the current pandemic.”
