Fauci pleads Fifth at Senate hearing; diary entries show he privately acknowledged Wuhan experiments as 'gain-of-function' research

Published Jul 30, 07:50 PM UTC

The article analyzes the ongoing controversy surrounding Dr. Anthony Fauci, who recently pleaded the Fifth Amendment during a Senate hearing chaired by Sen. Rand Paul. It highlights newly published diary entries showing discrepancies between Fauci's public and private statements regarding the lab leak theory of COVID-19's origins, including his acknowledgment that U.S.-funded Wuhan experiments constituted 'gain-of-function' research. The piece criticizes both Fauci's Democratic defenders, who hail him as a patriot, and his Republican critics, who may overstate his culpability. It argues that Fauci's key policy recommendations—lockdowns, mask mandates, school closures—had little discernible impact on mortality rates, based on a comparison of red and blue states before vaccines were available. The article concludes that Fauci's legacy should be one of heavy-handed social controls that accomplished little.