Less than a third of the population expresses confidence in the country’s medical system. While former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci is not solely responsible, his persistent refusal to accept any culpability for the medical community’s inconsistencies during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly contributes to this sentiment.
Fauci had opportunities to come forward and apologize during the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing on Monday, but he chose not to.
A week after the subcommittee released emails that unveiled his senior adviser, Dr. David Morens, intentionally sidestepping federal transparency laws to hide the government’s involvement in funding gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab in China, Fauci asserted that Morens did not have regular access to him and labeled his actions as “wrong” and “inappropriate” but also considered him an “outlier.”
Despite supervising Morens, Fauci claimed he was not accountable for his subordinate’s misconduct. At NIAID, responsibility does not appear to fall at Director Fauci’s desk.
Fauci’s claims might have been more convincing had he not also been so evidently misleading about his attempts to dismiss theories suggesting that COVID-19 originated at the Wuhan lab.
He professed to have an “open mind” regarding COVID-19’s origins, but this stance is contradicted by emails indicating that Fauci helped orchestrate a scientific paper endorsed by EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak. “I just wanted to say a personal thank you on behalf of our staff and collaborators, for publicly standing up and stating that the scientific evidence supports a natural origin for COVID-19 from a bat-to-human spillover, not a lab release from the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” Daszak emailed Fauci in April 2020.
Fauci also attempted to detach himself from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance to maintain a 6-foot distance to reduce virus transmission. He conceded there was no scientific basis for this guidance, which teachers’ unions used to close schools, resulting in significant harm to millions of children. Fauci deflected responsibility to the CDC, asserting, “It is not appropriate to be publicly challenging a sister organization.”
However, the CDC was more than just a sister organization. Fauci served as the president’s chief medical officer. If he knew the CDC recommendation was unsupported by science and negatively impacted businesses and children, he should have voiced his concerns.
Instead, he participated in interviews with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, where he proposed a scientific rationale behind the rule: “Most of the droplets, when people speak and you see that little spray come out, are greater than 5 micrometers. Those are heavy. They don’t go any more than 3 feet, at the most 6 feet, which is why we say when you’re outside, stay at least 6 feet apart from someone.”
Fauci shifted his stance on using masks in public. He initially opposed them, then supported them later. He stated that 60% of the public needed to be vaccinated to end lockdowns, then raised the figure to 80%. He endorsed 6-foot social distancing but now acknowledges it was baseless. He dismissed the lab leak theory but now claims to have an open mind.
These are not harmless inconsistencies. These are statements and policies endorsed by a powerful figure that were implemented and caused harm to millions. To restore public trust in public health, Fauci must be held accountable for these deceptions.
