New evidence suggests that Dr. Anthony Fauci misled Congress in testimony regarding U.S.-funded research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
Despite the latest controversy, the Biden administration continues to go to bat for its top medical adviser.
Psaki continues to defend Fauci
White House press secretary Jen Psaki dismissed a recent report from The Intercept that concluded the Wuhan lab, which is at the center of speculation regarding the origins of COVID-19, performed so-called gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses.
U.S. agencies reportedly provided funding that ultimately supported such research, contrary to Fauci’s statements while under oath.
Following the publication of damning emails in June, the White House similarly circled the wagons around the Fauci. Those documents revealed that he assisted virologist Peter Daszak in downplaying the possibility that COVID-19 originated at the Chinese facility.
During a press conference on Thursday, Fox News Channel reporter Steve Doocy asked Psaki if the administration is considering firing Fauci in light of the new information.
The White House press secretary dismissed the characterization of Fauci as a liar, insisting that his testimony before Congress was technically “correct” and that the National Institutes of Health “has refuted that reporting.”
“Never approved any research”
Attempting to backpedal on her blanket denial, Psaki said that the NIH has “never approved any research that would make a coronavirus more dangerous to humans,” suggesting that even if such research occurred, it did not lead to the outbreak of COVID-19.
Records show, however, that the NIH provided a $3.1 million grant to the Daszak-led organization EcoHealth Alliance, which contributed to bat coronavirus research at the Wuhan lab. Of course, The Intercept’s report has been all but ignored by most mainstream media outlets.
A Rutgers University molecular biologist declared that the evidence shows Fauci has been deceitful in his characterization of the U.S. funding.
“The results demonstrate — unequivocally — a gain in function,” Dr. Richard Ebright tweeted.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has been one of Fauci’s most vocal critics on Capitol Hill and reacted to the latest development with a sense of vindication. He has suggested that Fauci should face prosecution for perjury after sworn statements like his assertion in July that it was “molecularly impossible” for the virus to have originated in the Chinese lab.
The post Psaki defends Fauci amid evidence that he lied under oath about Wuhan lab research first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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