Democratic members of the House select subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic have come to the defense of Dr. Anthony Fauci in anticipation of Monday's hearing regarding the US’ Covid-19 pandemic response, policies, and transparency.
The representatives strongly criticized allegations suggesting Fauci's involvement in initiating or concealing the pandemic, labeling such claims as “dangerous” and “cartoonish.” Democratic Rep. Raul Ruiz, a ranking member on the panel, expressed concern over the subcommittee becoming a platform for extreme narratives aimed at vilifying public health officials rather than focusing on constructive reforms to enhance public health data collection, bolster testing and contact tracing capabilities, and address the disparities exposed by the pandemic.
Rep. Ruiz emphasized that the investigation into Dr. Fauci portrays him as an honorable public servant dedicated to public health, refuting claims that he played a role in funding research to create the Covid-19 pandemic, misled Congress about gain-of-function research in Wuhan, or orchestrated a campaign to suppress information about a lab leak to protect himself. Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin echoed these sentiments, denouncing the allegations against Dr. Fauci as baseless fabrications and distortions.
