Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., has called on the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate Dr. Anthony Fauci, citing newly released intelligence documents concerning the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Marshall argued that a special counsel would "avoid the appearance that the federal government is improperly reviewing its own pandemic-era misconduct."
The investigation, Marshall stated, should focus on Fauci's role in the origins of COVID-19, federal funding for risky coronavirus research, and the alleged obstruction of congressional oversight. Fauci, 85, concluded his tenure as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the end of 2022, after serving in the role for 38 years. He also previously served as chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden.
Marshall's request follows the release of documents on June 19 by outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. These documents reportedly showed that officials protected Fauci from a whistleblower complaint that alleged he misled Congress regarding "gain of function" research conducted in Wuhan, China. At the time, Fauci had suggested that pangolins, a mammal, were responsible for the outbreak that has resulted in millions of deaths globally.
The released materials also indicated that during a June 2021 meeting with CIA officials, Fauci shifted attention away from the lab leak theory toward a wet market in Wuhan, where some initial cases of the virus were identified. "The materials raise serious questions about Dr. Fauci’s role in directing or influencing the government’s understanding of COVID-19’s origins and about whether dissenting voices inside the federal government were sidelined or retaliated against," Marshall wrote.
Republicans have frequently criticized Fauci for his past support of gain of function research, a process that involves modifying pathogens to enhance their virulence or transmissibility. NIAID, under Fauci's leadership, provided grants to the non-profit EcoHealth Alliance for the study of bat coronaviruses in conjunction with the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Reports have indicated that staff at the Wuhan Institute of Virology fell ill in the fall of 2019, prior to the widespread circulation of COVID-19.
Marshall also raised questions about the legal validity of a pre-emptive pardon granted to Fauci by President Biden before leaving office in January 2025. This pardon was intended to shield Fauci from any federal offenses he may have committed between January 1, 2014. "The pandemic imposed enormous costs on Kansas families, businesses, and communities, as well as on the entire country," Marshall stated. "The restoration of the public’s trust demands an independent investigation of federal officials’ conduct before, during, and even after the pandemic."
The Justice Department and an attorney for Dr. Fauci did not immediately respond to requests for comment.