SouthernWorldwide.com – Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., has vowed to maintain pressure on Dr. Anthony Fauci regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, even as the statute of limitations for a criminal referral concerning alleged false statements to Congress expires. Paul plans to hold a Senate hearing this week to continue his scrutiny of what he terms “the COVID coverup.”
Paul expressed his frustration on X, formerly Twitter, stating that while David Morens, Dr. Fauci’s top advisor, has been indicted, Fauci himself remains uncharged. This comes despite Paul’s repeated calls for the Justice Department to act on his criminal referral. The situation is further complicated by a broad preemptive pardon issued to Fauci by former President Joe Biden on his last day in office, January 19, 2025.
The senator highlighted the urgency, noting that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has only five days to indict Fauci before the statute of limitations runs out. He emphasized that “Justice cannot wait.”
The pardon from President Biden and the impending expiration of the statute of limitations effectively shield the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and chief medical advisor to President Biden. However, Dr. Morens was indicted late last month for allegedly concealing information and falsifying records to suppress alternative theories about the origins of COVID-19.
Paul reiterated his long-held belief that Fauci and his inner circle withheld crucial information about the virus’s origins in Wuhan. He pointed to Morens’ indictment as evidence supporting his claims.
“Fauci lied to Congress under oath,” Paul stated on X. “The statute of limitations expires in 5 days. Will the DOJ finally indict Fauci?”
So far, the Trump Justice Department, under former Attorney General Pam Bondi or acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, has not made any public statements regarding potential charges against Fauci.
Paul clarified that the responsibility for indicting Fauci now lies solely with the DOJ, not Congress. He emphasized that he has completed his investigative work and submitted multiple criminal referrals.
“He lied to Congress about NIH funding dangerous gain-of-function research in Wuhan and engaged in the worst cover-up in modern medical history,” Paul added. “The American people want Fauci behind bars.”
Former President Donald Trump has publicly dismissed the validity of the preemptive pardons issued by Biden, calling them without legal effect. However, there is no established precedent for a new president to nullify pardons granted by a predecessor, which could undermine the power of presidential pardon authority.
Trump had previously stated on Truth Social in December that any “Pardons,” “Commutations,” or other legal documents signed by the autopen were terminated and had no legal effect.
Just two days after the statute of limitations for Fauci expires, Senator Paul is scheduled to chair a Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs committee hearing. This hearing will feature a whistleblower who is expected to testify about the “COVID coverup.”
“Next week I’m holding a hearing with a whistleblower who will testify publicly about the COVID coverup,” Paul announced on X. He urged people to mark their calendars for Wednesday, May 13, at 10 a.m., promising that “The truth is coming.”
Paul’s renewed criminal referral to the DOJ last July sought an investigation into whether Fauci’s May 2021 statements violated federal false-statements law. The referral specifically cited Fauci’s testimony that “the NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.”
The referral also highlighted Fauci’s subsequent assertion that he had “never lied before the Congress” and did not retract his statement, even after Paul warned him about the legal consequences of lying to Congress.
Paul’s referral referenced a February 2020 email, released by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, in which Fauci indicated that “scientists in Wuhan University are known to have been working on gain-of-function experiments” involving bat viruses and human infection. Paul argued that this email contradicted Fauci’s sworn testimony.
Furthermore, Paul pointed to research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) that he claimed was funded by an NIAID award. This research allegedly involved creating chimeric viruses capable of infecting human cells by combining spike genes from bat SARS-related coronaviruses with another coronavirus backbone.
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“This research, conducted at the WIV and funded under NIAID Award R01AI110964, fits the definition of gain-of-function research,” the referral stated.
The criminal referral also cited a 2023 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report confirming that the WIV and Wuhan University received NIH funding. According to Paul’s referral, the GAO reported that NIH funded a project involving “genetic experiments to combine naturally occurring bat coronaviruses with SARS and MERS viruses, resulting in hybridized coronavirus strains.”
Individuals found to have made materially false statements during a congressional investigation or review can face fines and imprisonment of up to five years.
In his July referral, Paul also questioned the legal validity of the preemptive pardon Fauci received from President Biden’s autopen.
“New information has revealed that these pardons were executed via autopen, with no documented confirmation that the President personally reviewed or approved each individual grant of clemency,” Paul wrote. He noted reports indicating that White House staff authorized the use of the autopen for clemency documents, raising “serious constitutional and legal concerns about the legitimacy of Dr. Fauci’s pardon.”
Dr. Fauci has consistently denied lying to Congress, including during his heated exchanges with Senator Paul in congressional hearings.
“Dr. Fauci, knowing that it is a crime to lie to Congress, do you wish to retract your statement of May 11 [2021], where you claimed at the NIH never funded gain-of-function research and move on?” Paul questioned in a July 2021 Senate hearing.
“Sen. Paul, I have never lied before the Congress, and I do not retract that statement,” Fauci responded. He added, “Sen. Paul, you do not know what you’re talking about, quite frankly. And I want to say that officially, you do not know what you’re talking about.”
The core of the alleged deception centers on the definition and denial of gain-of-function research related to COVID-19.
“You’re dancing around this because you’re trying to obscure responsibility for four million people dying around them from a pandemic,” Paul stated in a notable exchange, accusing Fauci of “obfuscating the truth.”
Fauci countered, “I’m not obfuscating the truth – you are.” He added, “You are implying that what we did was responsible for the deaths of individuals. I totally resent that.”
Paul retorted, “It could have been.”
“If there is any lying here, senator, it is you,” Fauci declared, shaking his finger at Paul.
Members of Congress are generally protected by the speech and debate clause of the Constitution. However, individuals testifying under oath before congressional committees, such as Dr. Fauci did, are subject to federal laws against perjury.
