Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci has been asked to return to Congress to answer questions after emails released by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) showed the ex-NIAID official asking colleagues to delete certain messages, according to copies obtained by The Post.
The emails include a Feb. 2, 2020, message in which Fauci asked then-NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins to “Please delete this e-mail after you read it,” a request that followed a Feb. 1, 2020, conference call of top NIH officials about the emerging outbreak in Wuhan, China. Other exchanges cited by Paul include a July 20, 2020, message in which Fauci asked a deputy, Greg Folkers, to “please delete this e-mail after you read it.”
The email chains also include commentary from British researcher Jeremy Farrar, who wrote that it was “critical that responsible, respected scientists and agencies get ahead of the science and the narrative” amid early pandemic reporting. The exchanges preceded publication of a March 2020 scientific paper titled “The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2,” which dismissed a lab-leak explanation for the virus’s origin; GOP investigators previously uncovered Fauci’s involvement in discussions related to that paper.
Sen. Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Committee, told Fauci in a Sept. 9 letter that the emails show the former NIAID director “directed” employees at the National Institutes of Health to destroy federal records. In the letter, Paul said the committee believes Fauci may possess additional records relevant to its probe into the origin of COVID-19, use of taxpayer funds for virological research, and whether reforms are needed. Paul requested a trove of communications from 2018 through 2023 and asked that an interview date be set between Oct. 28 and Dec. 11.
Paul has previously referred Fauci for federal prosecution, asserting that Fauci lied to Congress about grants connected to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the potential for so-called gain-of-function research. Those allegations are part of a broader, GOP-led scrutiny into the origins of the virus and the federal response in early 2020.
During testimony to a House subcommittee last year, Fauci denied deleting official government records. In response to a question from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.)—“Dr. Fauci, did you ever delete an official record?”—the former NIAID chief answered “No” on three separate occasions, according to the hearing transcript.
Other emails cited by Paul’s office show Fauci advisers discussing ways to handle Freedom of Information Act requests. One adviser, Dr. David Morens, was investigated last year after messages described conversations about evading FOIA requests, including references to a “secret back channel” allegedly used to handle sensitive communications.
Sen. Paul and his office said the requested materials are necessary for the committee to fully understand the federal government’s actions in investigating COVID-19 origins and the extent of U.S. funding for virological research. Paul’s probe seeks emails, text messages and other communications from Fauci and his aides that the senator believes will illuminate decisions made during the pandemic.
Fauci, who led NIAID for decades and is now a distinguished professor at Georgetown University’s Global Health Institute, has faced multiple rounds of congressional inquiries since stepping down from his federal post. His attorney previously said that one exchange involving a private email account and a Washington Post reporter was a personal matter and not government business, and denied that it violated federal record-keeping laws. A taxpayer watchdog group had alleged improper use of a private account in connection with public-relations efforts over research involving beagle puppies.
Representatives for Georgetown’s Global Health Institute did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Attorneys who represented Fauci in congressional testimony did not return requests for comment on the newly released emails.
The Senate Homeland Committee’s request and Paul’s public release of the emails extend an ongoing, partisan debate over transparency, record retention and the scientific community’s public communications during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee’s next steps will depend on any additional records it receives and scheduling of the requested interview with Fauci.
No criminal charges were announced in connection with the emails cited by Paul as of the committee’s Sept. 9 letter, and the release of the documents has prompted calls from Republicans for further investigation while Democrats and some public health officials have cautioned against conflating internal deliberations with wrongdoing. Congressional scrutiny of pandemic-era communications has continued to be a focal point in broader discussions about government oversight and pandemic preparedness.
The records released to date were obtained by Sen. Paul’s office and provided to the committee. The senator’s investigation remains ongoing, and the committee has signaled it will pursue any additional documentation it deems necessary to complete its review of federal actions related to the origins and early handling of COVID-19.