House and Senate Republicans are unwilling to let Dr. Anthony Fauci’s plan to ride into the sunset – and are already announcing they intend to bring him before Congress to testify even after the infectious disease expert announced his resignation.
Among those who jumped at the announcement was Republican GOP Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who had clashed with Fauci in tense hearings in the past.
“Fauci’s resignation will not prevent a full investigation into the origins of the pandemic. He is being asked to testify under oath in all discussions he participated in regarding the lab leak,” Paul tweeted.
Senators from both parties had the opportunity to grill Fauci because of his role as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. President Joe Biden also made him his chief medical adviser after taking office.
dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, announced Monday that he will be stepping down at the end of the year
Republicans have already vowed to have Fauci testify if they take control of the House or Senate, with plans to launch their own investigations into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and the US government’s response.
The likelihood of that happening may have shifted slightly, as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned that the GOP’s chance of taking the House of Representatives is better than winning the Senate, in part due to that is what he called “candidate quality.”
The party outside the party usually has a significant advantage in off-year elections, and Biden’s overall popularity was still 42 percent in an NBC poll released this weekend.
Has some free time on his calendar: “While I am moving from my current positions, I am not retiring,” Fauci said in a statement
Staff members spray disinfectant at Wuhan Railway Station in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, March 24, 2020. Republicans have stalked Fauci over the origins of the pandemic, sometimes pointing the finger at winning functional research
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), member of the home supervisor, called Fauci a “coward” and suggested that the 81-year-old would retire to avoid a GOP exam should they take over the home
Republicans have fallen out with Fauci over masking, travel orders, lockdowns, school closures and the origins of the pandemic
Republican Rep. James Comer, who will chair the House Oversight Committee when the Republicans take over the House, tweeted: “Retirement can make Dr. not protect Fauci from Congressional scrutiny.”
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a board member with knowledge of investigative powers after refusing to testify before the House Select 6th Committee, tweeted that Fauci “conveniently steps down from his position in December before the Reps.” House Republicans have an opportunity to hold him accountable for the destruction of our country over the past three years. This guy’s a coward,’ he added.
“Make no mistake, my colleagues and I will be Dr. Hold Fauci accountable whether or not he remains in public office,” he added.
“While I am moving from my current positions, I am not retiring,” Fauci said in a statement. “After more than 50 years in public service, I plan to pursue the next phase of my career while still having so much energy and passion for my field.
Texas Rep. Troy Nehls urged Fauci to keep records and suggested a detailed investigation.
“Keep your records and don’t delete emails. A time of reckoning will come,” he wrote. “See you in January,” tweeted Nehls, a Trump loyalist.
Fauci, 81, led NIAID for 38 years and played an important role in fighting pandemics such as HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Zika and other threats.
The AIDS crisis in particular put him in the national spotlight, but the global COVID-19 pandemic made Fauci a household name and a target for Trump and many of his Republican supporters.
Critics blamed Fauci for some of the initial missteps, blasting him for changing government guidance on how to respond to the pandemic on issues like masking, travel, school closures and “lockdowns,” and vaccines.
Fauci sometimes drew public ire for urging people to refrain from public activities and movements as the virus and a number of variants continued to spread. Fauci said he updated the guidance as new research and information became available.
After becoming the face of the government’s Covid response, he sometimes clashed with Trump and White House officials who wanted to bring about a speedy reopening.
Even as he was pushed out of decision-making, he was able to use his media platform to call for continued social distancing.
He became the subject of angry “Fire Fauci” campaigns while being held up as a resistance figure with “Honk for Fauci” signs during the Trump administration.
Fauci took pains not to publicly criticize Trump in many of his public statements during his tenure.
He got a security detail after receiving threats.
Lawmakers who have tried to go after Fauci have sometimes found that he has the ability to fight back.
When Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) demanded that he disclose information about his financial holdings and the already disclosed taxpayer salary of $434,000, Fauci told him, “You are so misinformed, it’s extraordinary. “
Then he got on a hot microphone and said, “What an idiot.”