Anthony Fauci, former chief medical advisor to the president, has agreed to testify both privately and publicly before the House on the origins of Covid-19 in China and the U.S. response to the global pandemic.
In a letter sent to Fauci on Thursday, House Coronavirus Select Subcommittee chairman Brad Wenstrup (R., Ohio) wrote that the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will appear in Congress for a two-day transcribed interview on January 8-9, 2024. During the private session, Fauci is required to give seven hours of testimony per day, excluding breaks, with two personal and two government counsel accompanying him.
The hearing is being cast as an opportunity to learn from Fauci’s knowledge of the Covid-19 virus, which will be used to help the committee investigate and evaluate the federal government’s response to the pandemic and help prepare for a future pandemic should one arise.
In addition to the closed-door meeting, Fauci must also testify at a future public hearing sometime next year.
The correspondence follows months of negotiations, finally leading to an agreement between the committee and Fauci on November 3. Come early January, the transcribed interview will mark the first time the retired public-health official has appeared before the 118th Congress, which started its two-year session earlier this year.
Before leaving NIAID at the end of 2022, Fauci previously testified on Capitol Hill, where he frequently debated with Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) when asked to give detailed information about gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China, that led to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Earlier this year, the Coronavirus Select Subcommittee revealed emails that showed Fauci was aware of the said research prior to the emergence of the pandemic in the U.S. The congressional panel also recently released evidence suggesting Fauci prompted the drafting of an April 2020 scientific paper specifically written to disprove the lab leak theory at the time.
Since then, mounting evidence has shown Fauci knew that the National Institutes of Health funded gain-of-function research of novel coronaviruses in China as the pandemic began. Additionally, the committee alleged he secretly visited CIA headquarters to influence the agency’s investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 virus after the pandemic was already underway.
“Dr. Fauci was the face of America’s public health response during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his testimony will serve as a crucial component of the Select Subcommittee’s investigations into the origin of COVID-19, coercive mandates, gain-of-function type research, scientific censorship, and more,” Wenstrup said in a statement provided to National Review.
“It is time for Dr. Fauci to confront the facts and address the numerous controversies that have arisen during and after the pandemic,” he continued. “Americans deserve trusted public health leaders who prioritize the well-being of our people over any personal or political goals. Thankfully, retirement from public service does not shield one from Congressional oversight nor accountability to the American people. During Dr. Fauci’s upcoming testimonies, honesty is non-negotiable.”