Commentary: Sen. Paul: Fauci Lied Under Oath on Gain of Function Research in Wuhan
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul launched a fiery accusation toward National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci this week.
During his appearance Tuesday on the Real America’s Voice program “The Water Cooler,” Paul was asked if he thought Fauci “perjured himself” before a recent Senate committee hearing on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paul’s answer was unequivocal: “Absolutely. He lied to the American people.”
Paul cited the work of Chinese virologist Dr. Shi Zhengli, director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the virus research laboratory in the same region where the coronavirus pandemic first reached the public.
In particular, he focused on “gain of function” research, which Paul described at a May 11 Senate hearing as “juicing up naturally occurring animal viruses to infect humans.”
Funding for Shi’s research came from Fauci’s agency, which is a part of the National Institutes of Health, Paul said on “The Water Cooler.”
“There was gain of function research going on with this Dr. Shi Zhengli at the Wuhan Institute,” Paul said. “In her paper, she actually thanks Dr. Fauci and NIAID which is a part of NIH Dr. Fauci runs.”
Watch part of the interview here:
.@RandPaul is absolutely going in on Dr. Fauci, claims he committed perjury during his recent testimony before Congresspic.twitter.com/AH8QZi2Qd9
— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) May 25, 2021
“It’s listed at the end of the paper,” Paul added. “The paper was funded by NIAID research and it lists a 10-digit number that identifies the research money that she got from the United States.”
According to Breitbart, Paul’s perjury allegation stems from the May 11 Senate hearing where he questioned the NIAID director directly.
“To arrive at the truth, the U.S. government should admit that the Wuhan Virology Institute was experimenting to enhance the coronavirus’s ability to infect humans,” Paul said in his preliminary remarks.
“Juicing up superviruses is not new,” Paul said. “Scientists in the U.S. have long known how to mutate animal viruses to infect humans.”
He cited the work of Dr. Ralph Baric, a virologist at the University of North Carolina, who teamed up with Shi on research.
“For years, Dr. Ralph Baric, a virologist in the U.S., has been collaborating with Dr. Shi Zhengli of the Wuhan Virology Institute, sharing his discoveries about how to create superviruses. This gain of function research has been funded by the NIH. The collaboration between the U.S. and the Wuhan Virology Institute continues.”
“Drs. Baric and Shi worked together to insert bat virus spike protein into the backbone of the deadly SARS virus, and then used this manmade supervirus to infect human airway cells.
“Think about that for a moment,” he said. “The SARS virus had a 15 percent mortality. We’re fighting a pandemic that has about a 1 percent mortality. Can you imagine if a SARS virus that’s been juiced up and had viral proteins added to it … if that were released accidentally?”
The video of the exchange is below:
After several moments, Paul arrived at his question, specifically regarding the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
“Dr. Fauci, do you still support funding of the NIH funding of the lab in Wuhan?” he asked.
Fauci adjusted his microphone before addressing the question.
“Sen. Paul, with all due respect, you are entirely, entirely, and completely incorrect,” he responded. “The NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain of function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.”
However, when Paul pressed about Baric’s work, Fauci initially denied Baric participated in “gain of function” research, then immediately shifted to say, “If [he] is, it’s according to guidelines and it is being conducted in North Carolina, not in China.”
Despite Fauci‘s vehement denial, Paul continued to press the issue, noting that “at least 200 scientists have signed a statement from The Cambridge Working Group saying that it is gain of function.”
Fauci still did not directly address Paul’s question regarding his support for NIH funding for the Wuhan Institute of Virology, so Paul added another interesting factor to the equation.
“We did [send money] under your tutelage, we were sending [it] through EcoHealth, it was a subagency and a subgrant. Do you support that the money from the NIH was going to the Wuhan Institute?” Paul asked.
The two men — who are no strangers to confrontation — then sparred over whether the work being conducted could actually be termed “gain of function” research, but it was pretty clear by that point that Paul was not taking Fauci’s word at face value.
He wouldn’t be alone in that, of course. It appears Fauci’s story is rife with vagueness and contradictions, similar to his flip-flops on other COVID-related issues. (Remember his switching mask narrative?)
In the comments under the CSPAN video on YouTube‘s Paul-Fauci exchange, some viewers noted how swiftly the CDC changed its COVID-19 guidelines after these allegations came forth.
Though this may be a coincidence, it’s sure to rouse the skeptics who believed the official stories of COVID’s origins were shady all along.
If Paul’s allegations are found to be true and Fauci lied about gain of function research under oath, things could get interesting.
Will we ever get to the bottom of COVID’s origin? Maybe we’ll find out exactly what happened someday.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
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