Comer Warns Fauci: Biden Pardon Won’t Protect False Testimony Before Congress
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said Dr. Anthony Fauci should not assume that President Joe Biden’s pardon gives him immunity if he provides false testimony before Congress, as the longtime public health official prepares to appear before a Republican-led Senate panel.
Fauci is scheduled to testify Wednesday before a Senate committee chaired by Sen. Rand Paul, just days after hundreds of pages from his personal COVID-19-era diary were released to the public, renewing scrutiny of his actions and public statements during the pandemic.
Comer argued that the newly disclosed documents help explain why Biden granted Fauci a sweeping pardon before leaving office.
“We now know why President Biden gave a blanket pardon to Dr. Fauci. While obsessing about his own fame, Dr. Fauci wasn’t truthful with the American people about the origins of COVID and advised schools to be closed,” Comer told Fox News Digital.
“Americans are still reaping the consequences of Dr. Fauci’s actions. Biden’s pardon doesn’t cover Dr. Fauci’s testimony this week and if he continues to lie, he must be held accountable.”
Fauci was one of several individuals who received broad preemptive pardons from Biden during the final hours of his presidency.
The pardon applies to any potential offenses committed between Jan. 1, 2014, and the date it was issued, including matters connected to Fauci’s work as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, his service on the White House Coronavirus Task Force and COVID-19 Response Team, and his role as chief medical adviser to the president.
Because the pardon covers actions taken during Fauci’s government service, legal observers are expected to debate whether it could shield him from liability arising from testimony he gives before Congress after the pardon was issued.
Other House Republicans also sharply criticized Fauci, arguing that his conduct during the pandemic severely damaged public confidence in America’s healthcare system. Among those speaking out were the physician co-chairs of the House GOP Doctors’ Caucus.
“Dr. Fauci, enamored with his own fame and vanity, put politics above science during the pandemic. He is primarily responsible for the resulting multi-generational erosion of trust in American medicine,” Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital. “A perfect example of ego destroying whatever achievements he had prior to the pandemic.”
Rep. John Joyce of Pennsylvania likewise said Fauci should answer for his actions before both chambers of Congress.
“The release of Dr. Fauci’s diary entries validates what many Americans suspected all along: he was not honest about the origins of COVID-19,” Joyce said. “His fixation on preserving his own image and maintaining a position of power eroded public trust, undermined the integrity of our public health institutions, and failed the American people.”
The diary entries released by Sen. Rand Paul, a longtime Fauci critic who chairs Wednesday’s hearing, include reflections on Fauci’s public profile during the pandemic and discussions related to the origins of COVID-19.
Some of the writings also appear to suggest Fauci viewed himself as having played a significant role in policies that led to widespread school closures, an issue that remains one of the most contentious aspects of the government’s pandemic response.
During testimony before the House Oversight Committee in January 2024, however, Fauci denied personally shutting down schools, stating, “I did not close the schools.”
Fauci has consistently rejected allegations of wrongdoing, maintaining that he has become the target of politically motivated attacks by critics who oppose the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
{Matzav.com}