Megyn Kelly, a political commentator, has accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of concealing his own adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine, despite his public endorsements of the vaccines for Americans. Kelly's remarks came shortly after Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), faced questioning on Capitol Hill.
Kelly referenced a clip of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, speaking with Laura Ingraham. In the clip, Kennedy Jr. mentioned that Fauci's newly-leaked private diary revealed he suffered a pulmonary infarction after receiving the Moderna vaccine in June 2021. A pulmonary infarction is a condition where lung tissue dies due to a loss of blood and oxygen supply, often caused by a blocked blood vessel.
"So there is a very real possibility that Anthony Fauci knew he suffered a pulmonary infarction after his double dose of Moderna, and still told that guy his claims should be dismissed, it's perfectly safe," Kelly stated on her show, referring to Fauci's past defenses of COVID-19 vaccine safety. Kelly also expressed that she now believes she was not fully informed before receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine herself.
Fauci's appearance on Capitol Hill on Wednesday was marked by his invocation of the Fifth Amendment over 100 times to avoid answering questions regarding his pandemic response. Republican Senator Rand Paul released Fauci's private log, spanning from 2019 to 2022, which reportedly contains the diary entries.
During the hearing, Senator Bernie Moreno called Fauci a "total disgrace" and described his own motivation for running for office as stemming from witnessing a mother's arrest for violating COVID-19 guidelines based on Fauci's advice.
"Who the f**k do you think you were for doing that? It was a total disgrace to this country, and if my Democrat colleagues are standing there defending you, I hope the voters of the United States of America have watched clips of every one of them building a guy who was more interested in being a celebrity than doing his job," Moreno exclaimed.
Moreno asked those in the audience who felt negatively impacted by skepticism toward COVID-19 precautions to stand, and a significant portion of the public present did so.
Fauci's diaries also reportedly indicate that he enjoyed the celebrity attention he received during the early pandemic lockdowns. One entry from April 2020 noted, "Press still hot and heavy about me. Multiple stories per day directly or indirectly involving me," according to Forbes.
In his opening statement, Fauci criticized the Republican Party, stating, "Given Senator Paul's obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution, his repeated slanderous comments about me, and recently his publicly releasing my unredacted personal diary aimed at embarrassing and intimidating me."
Fauci added, "Any reasonable person who has followed his unhinged obsession with me would readily come to the same conclusion."
He consistently invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when questioned by lawmakers. His attorney, David Schertler, was removed by security when he attempted to speak on Fauci's behalf during an exchange with Senator Paul. Fauci's attorney stated numerous times, "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution."