If anybody is lying, it is you: Fauci to Sen Rand Paul over Wuhan research theory

White House chief medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul on Tuesday engaged in a heated exchange over whether the National Institutes of Health-funded controversial research has contributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Paul accused Fauci of lying to Congress when he said that the NIAID had never funded gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China. To this, the top government epidemiologist said, “If anybody is lying here, senator, it is you.”

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The Senate hearing saw Paul ask Fauci if he would like to retract that statement from the May 11 testimony. “Fauci, as you are aware it is a crime to lie to Congress,” the Republican said. 

Fauci had denied any funding by the NIH in the research at a lab in Wuhan, China in his previous Senate testimony. The research has come under scrutiny as a possible source of COVID-19. Fauci oversees several NIH research projects as the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 

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To Paul’s accusations, Fauci said, “I have not lied before Congress. I have never lied. Certainly not before Congress. Case closed.”

According to Fauci, the study Paul was referring to, did not constitute gain-of-function research. Paul had said that US money had essentially gone to the hazardous and controversial research.

“Senator Paul, you do not know what you are talking about, quite frankly, and I would like to say that officially. You do not know what you are talking about,” Fauci said.

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Paul countered: “No one is saying those viruses caused the pandemic. What we’re alleging is that gain of function research was done in that lab and NIH funded it. You can’t get away from it, it meets your definition and you are obfuscating the truth.”  

“You are implying that what we did resulted in the deaths of individuals. I totally resent that, and if anyone is lying here, senator, it is you,” Fauci pointed his finger at Paul.