Dr. Anthony Fauci vowed to ride off into the sunset in December 2022, shortly before Republicans took control of the House and opened probes into his tenure as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
But Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) isn’t convinced that’s what happened, and he’s demanding answers from Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, his department’s inspector general, and the current head of the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
In a letter obtained by Fox News, Paul noted that Fauci said he planned to leave his job in December 2022 to pursue “the next chapter” of his career, but in media interviews the doctor has also said “[w]hile I am moving on from my current positions, I am not retiring.”
“While many interpreted these statements to mean Dr. Fauci would be ending his employment with the federal government in December 2022, it is not clear if that is in fact the case. This raises questions about Dr. Fauci’s current employment status and whether he is still receiving certain taxpayer-funded benefits associated with active public service, such as legal counsel and protective services,” Paul wrote.
The senator posed a series of questions he said he wants answered by June 30.
1. Is Dr. Fauci currently employed by, or formally affiliated in any way with, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), or any other federal agency? If so, please describe the nature of his work and provide his current salary. If not, please provide the date in which his federal service formally ended.
2. Does Dr. Fauci currently have the ability to access non-public areas of HHS, NIH, NIAID, or any other federal agency building? Please include both federally leased and government-owned properties.
3. Does Dr. Fauci currently maintain and office within HHS, NIH, NIAID, or any other federal agency? Please include both federally leased and government-owned properties.
4. Is Dr. Fauci currently receiving any legal representation or legal advice through HHS, NIH, NIAID, or any other federal agency? This includes legal representation and legal advice from federal agency counsel, as well as any federally contracted outside representation.
5. Is Dr. Fauci currently receiving a protective detail and/or security services funded by the U.S. Secret Service, HHS, NIH, NIAID, or any other federal agency? Please include protective detail and security services provided by a federal agency counsel, as well as any federally contracted security services.
Earlier this year, Paul speculated that Fauci feared indictment by Republicans after they took over the House and opened a probe into his tenure. He said Fauci could be using his employment with the federal government as a legal shield.
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“It is my belief that he is worried about being indicted, and so he continues to work, so he will get legal protection under the federal government,” Paul told Sean Hannity in March. “This is wrong on every level of it, and we are going to get to the bottom of it.”
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.