Four Years of Anthony Fauci Lies

• Dr. Anthony Fauci’s falsehoods affected hundreds of millions of Americans, yet he will likely face no consequences

• His “noble lies” were used to keep children out of schools, shutter businesses, and discriminate against the unvaccinated

• Dr. Fauci's senior advisor illegally deleted records to evade FOIA requests and sought kickbacks from EcoHealth Alliance

The story

In leading the COVID-19 pandemic response, Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared to have good intentions toward the American people. He seemed knowledgeable and steady, as the country ventured into unknown territory, navigating an event unlike any seen in the U.S. in the past century.

The facade wore off in the months following his entrance onto the national stage. His consistent lies have since been exposed, and his reputation as a neutral truth-teller is severely tarnished.

Earlier this month, Fauci testified before Congress, bringing to the floor numerous falsehoods he pedaled during the pandemic. The doctor refuses to take responsibility for his shifty statements and remains unwilling to acknowledge that his political opponents might have been correct.

The lab leak theory

The COVID-19 virus originated in Wuhan, China. Americans were led to believe that the virus took form in an unsanitary food market, passing from a bat to a human. However, in the same city, the Wuhan Institute of Virology had specifically studied coronaviruses and performed gain-of-function research, which makes pathogens stronger to facilitate easier study of diseases.

In May of 2020, when Dr. Fauci was interviewed by National Geographic, he said that evidence was “very, very strongly leaning toward this [virus] could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated.”

Just two months prior, he allegedly used his influence as the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to refocus the CIA away from the lab leak theory of COVID-19’s origin and toward the theory that the virus was naturally occurring.

During a Congressional hearing this month, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) asked Dr. Fauci if he agreed “there was a push to downplay the lab leak theory.” Fauci replied, “None on my part … I’ve kept an open mind throughout the entire process.”

While Fauci played both sides by not entirely ruling out the lab leak theory, his actions prove that he did downplay it.

Social distancing guidance

For years, the medical establishment recommended six-foot social distancing to prevent COVID-19’s spread. When recently questioned about the origins of social distancing guidelines, Dr. Fauci told Congress, "You know, I don’t recall. It sort of just appeared. I don’t recall, like, a discussion of whether it should be five or six, or whatever."

When further asked if any studies supported the six-foot distancing rule, Fauci admitted that nothing justified it and explained it would be “very difficult” to conduct a study to determine and reinforce that specific guideline.

Funding gain-of-function research

During a Senate hearing in November 2021, Dr. Fauci stated that the National Institute of Health (NIH) had not funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. However, former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe testified that Fauci's statements were “inconsistent” with available intelligence.

Fauci’s NIAID awarded grants to research group EcoHealth Alliance, which provided sub-grants to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Funding was intended for studying bat coronaviruses and their potential to cause pandemics, and specifically to understand how coronaviruses could jump from animals to humans.

In 2022, Dr. Fauci lied before Congress that the government had not funded gain-of-function research in China. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who sparred with Fauci during the hearing, said in an interview, "All three … scientists [brought into the Congressional hearing] agree that the research the United States was funding in Wuhan … was gain-of-function research, that this research was a dangerous type of research that should have been reviewed by the pandemic committee … and that it wasn't.”

Vaccine efficacy and mandates

Some of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s most glaring falsehoods revolved around the COVID-19 vaccine. He consistently promoted vaccines as highly effective in preventing both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections, and he continued to mislead the public and push for universal vaccination and mandates, despite knowing that respiratory virus vaccines offer only limited, short-lived protection — especially with new variants.

The mandates Fauci advocated even involved schoolchildren under twelve, more than a year after it was evident that this age group had virtually no risk of severe illness or death. He defended his untenable position, arguing that “Society needs to be protected. And you do that by not only protecting yourself, but by protecting the people around you by getting vaccinated.”

FOIA scandal and EcoHealth Alliance

In a May 28 letter to the NIH, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), who chairs the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, claimed that the subcommittee uncovered evidence that "suggests a conspiracy at the highest levels of NIH and NIAID to avoid public transparency regarding the COVID-19 pandemic."

The subcommmittee revealed that Anthony Fauci’s senior advisor, Dr. David Morens, used his private email for official government business and sought assistance from NIH’s Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) office to avoid record requests, primarily concerning his communications with Fauci.

Morens wrote, “i (sic) learned from our [FOIA] lady here how to make emails disappear after i am foia’d but before the search starts, so i think we are all safe … Plus i deleted most of those earlier emails after sending them to gmail.”

In addition to deleting requested records, the House Oversight Committee discovered that Morens requested a financial kickback from EcoHealth Alliance President and NIH grantee Dr. Peter Daszak for assistance with editing EcoHealth Alliance’s grant compliance documents. The committee deemed, “This action is not only highly concerning, but it is also likely illegal.”

Why it matters

Though Fauci is no longer in the political spotlight, Congress continues to showcase his lies, demonstrating how Americans were continuously fed false and misleading information during the pandemic.

As the director of the NIAID, Fauci's guidance was instrumental in shaping public health policies and responses. Education leaders, public health officials, and lawmakers all took guidance from Fauci and the NIH (NIAID’s parent organization), influencing decisions of major institutions across the country.

When public health officials politicize science, trust is eroded in scientific institutions which were designed to be politically neutral and devoted to scientific truth. The COVID-19 pandemic proved that much of the guidance issued — ranging from efficacy of vaccines to social distancing — was not based on sound scientific evidence.