Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., has accused former White House chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci of lobbying his colleagues at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to nominate him for a $1 million prize. Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, stated that these alleged actions occurred while Fauci was spearheading the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paul shared over 1,000 pages of Fauci's diaries, which he claims reveal Fauci's "dogged pursuit" of the award. According to Paul, Fauci engaged in conversations with NIH personnel, suggesting they nominate him and even offering to draft the nominating materials himself. "Why would we let — politicians aren't supposed to get more than $50," Paul stated, questioning the propriety of a government official seeking such a prize. "Why would we want him to be allowed to have a $1 million dollar prize? That just boggles my mind."
In 2021, Fauci was awarded the Dan David Prize, a $1 million award presented by the Israel-based Dan David Foundation. The foundation stated at the time that Fauci "leveraged his considerable communication skills to address people gripped by fear and anxiety and worked relentlessly to inform individuals in the United States and elsewhere about the public health measures essential for containing the pandemic’s spread."
Fauci, who served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and advised seven presidents, was a career civil servant who did not require Senate confirmation. His diaries also reportedly contain entries detailing his awareness of his public profile during the pandemic. One entry from May 2020 noted a "Big front page article [about] me appeared in the Washington Post," with Fauci reportedly describing his fame as "explosive and really unimaginable."
Another diary entry mentioned that the Trump White House was "very upset" about Fauci's prominent media presence. When asked if Fauci's focus on media attention might have influenced his portrayal of the virus, Paul expressed uncertainty, suggesting that "publicity went to his head."