(GoRealNewsNow.com) – A new report by the United States Energy Department that became public over the weekend concluded COVID-19 is likely to have leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Former White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci has repeatedly rejected this theory.
The conclusion was included in a recent classified intelligence report sent to the White House and top members of Congress. As a result, the focus is back on Fauci, who retired at the end of last year after a long career in government, including 38 years as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Fauci, who is 82 years old, has faced heated criticism from congressional Republicans for defending gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have emerged from this institute.
In the months after the outbreak, Fauci dismissed the theory of a laboratory leak, calling it a “shiny object.”
However, in July of last year, he slightly changed his stance by saying he was keeping an “open mind” about the possibility of a lab leak. But later, he insisted that “it looks very much like this was a natural occurrence.”
Since the GOP regained control of the House last month, lawmakers have called for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and the government’s handling of the pandemic.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has accused Fauci of lying to Congress about the origin of the coronavirus, retweeted a reporter who wrote, “Dr. Fauci denied the possibility of a lab leak, repeatedly.”
Paul’s wife, Kelley, also weighed in on the matter by recalling one of Fauci’s rebukes to her husband from May 2021, when she tweeted, “Fauci lied. He knew NIH and NIAID money was sent to Wuhan via intermediary EcoHealth Alliance.”
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), a member of the House Oversight Committee, said that he looked forward to interrogating Fauci about the government’s response to the pandemic.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) appeared on Fox News to discuss the probe led by his caucus, saying, “It’s been lie after lie, misinformation after misinformation. And it’s about time we crack this egg open and really find what’s actually going on.”
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) took to Twitter to shade Fauci, saying, “Maybe we’re getting closer to knowing.”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) tweeted, “Anthony Fauci lied, and millions of people died.”
The official House Republican Twitter account posted a picture of Fauci accompanied by the words, “Accountability is coming.”
Fauci has welcomed the GOP House investigation into his handling of the pandemic and has said that accusations that he lied or abused his power during the crisis are politicized amplifications of misinformation.
However, the recent Energy Department’s conclusion has led to increased criticism from prominent figures, including former Trump administration official Monica Crowley, who tweeted, “Fauci and the rest of the COVID criminal cartel didn’t ‘get everything wrong.’ They knew the truth and lied, destroying countless lives & the health of the nation. On purpose.”
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