Sen. Rand Paul has a message for his critics in the wake of the Dr. Anthony Fauci emails obtained by BuzzFeed News through Freedom of Information Act requests: “I’ve been right all along.”
The Kentucky Republican told supporters Wednesday that thousands of email exchanges with the NIAID director reported by BuzzFeed have vindicated his blunt remarks about Dr. Fauci during Senate hearings.
Mr. Paul has excoriated Dr. Fauci for contradictory rhetoric involving masks, for downplaying the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s possible role in unleashing the COVID-19 virus upon the world, and the creation of “super viruses” via National Institutes of Health funding.
“As you can see, emails that have been released now under Freedom of Information Act show two very important things: FAUCI has been lying. I’ve been right all along,” the senator wrote in an email to supporters.
FOIA emails, for instance, include Dr. Fauci saying masks “are really for infected people to prevent them from spreading infection to people who are not infected rather than protecting uninfected people from acquiring infection.”
Similarly, he explicitly said masks purchased at drugstores are “not really effective” against a virus since COVID-19 is “small enough to pass through material.”
Other email exchanges with the infectious disease expert cover the real possibility that COVID-19 originated inside a lab.
“Told you. #firefauci.,” Mr. Paul said in a pair of tweets after the treasure trove of documents was published. “Can’t wait to see the media try to spin the Fauci FOIA emails.”
The Republican has been criticized by Fauci supporters for months.
Still, he has not shied away from the issue.
“Dr. Fauci dissembled or tried to hide his long-time support for ’gain-of-function’ research which creates super-viruses that jump from animals to humans,’ Mr. Paul tweeted on May 11. “[Eleven] labs in the U.S. create these super-viruses in the U.S. and one of them collaborated with Wuhan Virology Inst — Fauci has supported NIH funds for all these labs!”
Told you 👀
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) June 2, 2021
#firefauci
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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