Fauci, who resigned as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and President Biden’s top medical adviser in December, is invited to a transcribed interview. If he does not comply, Republicans have indicated they would possibly compel his testimony by issuing a subpoena.
COVID ORIGINS ‘MAY HAVE BEEN LINKED’ TO CHINA’S BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS PROGRAM: GOP REPORT
Fauci, who resigned as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to President Biden in December to “continue the next chapter,” is invited through the subcommittee for a transcribed interview. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/ Fake Images))
“We renewed the request of the thirteenth of December for his testimony. Accordingly, subcommittee staff will contact you to schedule a transcribed interview, reserving the right to conduct follow-up interviews if necessary for our investigation,” said Select Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup, R. Ohio, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. , and Republicans on the committee wrote to Fauci.
The letter said the subcommittee was “authorized” to investigate the origins of the COVID pandemic, adding “government investment in investigations into earnings in office” and other internal and external communications and decisions made through the executive branch similar to the pandemic.
The letters to Fauci and other top officials stick to Dec. 13, 2022, requests for the same data and imply that the subcommittee is stepping up its investigation now that Republicans are in charge. The oversight committee revealed the fact that taxpayer money helped fund the lab in Wuhan, China, where COVID originated, as well as steps Fauci took to “downplay” the lab’s leak theory.
“This investigation wants to start with where and how this virus emerged so we can check if we’re waiting for it, prepare for it or save it again,” Wenstrup told Fox News Digital. He said it’s possible the U. S. simply won’t settle. for “more years” of obstruction.
“Dr. Fauci warned early on that COVID-19 had signs of a manipulated virus, but he probably would have chosen to cover it up rather than report it,” Comer added.
In December, Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee alleged in a report that there were “indications” that COVID-19 could be linked to China’s biological weapons studies program and “spread” an incident at the Wuhan Institute to the general human population. virology.
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Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
The findings of the Republican report contradict an assessment released in October 2021 through the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which states that SARS-CoV-2 “is not likely to be a biological weapon. “
The ODNI report added: “We remain skeptical of claims that SARS-CoV-2 is a biological weapon as they are backed by scientifically invalid claims. “
Republicans on the subcommittee are asking ODNI leader Haines to provide a list of all the communications, studies and nongovernmental organization experts who helped write the report.
An earlier $4. 7 million grant to USAID’s EcoHealth Alliance drew complaints from Republicans who claimed the money was used in part to fund studies at the Wuhan Institute of Virology before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. EcoHealth Alliance has also been criticized for failing to disclose effects in a timely manner.
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The subcommittee asked EcoHealth President Daszak to make a transcript of the interview and a full description of all the organization’s scholarships.
Becerra and Dr. Collins’ testimony about communication between the White House, HHS, the National Institutes of Health and NIAID also demanded through lawmakers.
Select Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio. (PA)
Representatives for Fauci, HHS, ODNI and the White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on the letters and whether they will comply with the subcommittee’s requests.
A spokesperson for EcoHealth Alliance told Fox News Digital that they will work with the committee to provide the requested information.
“EcoHealth Alliance won a letter from the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic requesting data similar to its work on COVID-19. EcoHealth Alliance will work with those committees to provide the data they need. “
Kelly Laco is political editor for Fox News Digital.