Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) requested the employment records of former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci on Tuesday to determine if Fauci is still receiving a government salary or other government perks.
In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Paul requested "additional information regarding Dr. Fauci’s employment status and receipt of taxpayer-funded benefits" despite his 2022 departure from NIAID and resignation as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser.
BIDEN FACES PROSPECT OF UPS STRIKE WHILE CONSOLIDATING UNION SUPPORT
Paul noted that in multiple interviews last year, Fauci said he was "not retiring" but was going to the "next chapter" and moving on from his current positions.
"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," Paul wrote in the letter obtained by Fox News.
"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 service," he added.
The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is supposed to hear whether Fauci’s security status ended at the end of his employment with the administration but has not heard anything so far.
Paul speculated earlier this year that Fauci feared an indictment and was using his employment in public service as a legal shield, despite not talking on the record about any alleged work he continues to do.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
"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 letter comes as Paul reiterated his belief that Fauci orchestrated a "cover-up" of the origins of the COVID-19 virus, which some believe to have originated in a lab in Wuhan, China. Paul also claimed that Fauci allowed "dangerous" gain-of-function research to take place in Wuhan.