Fauci to face Republican questions over Covid-19 origins in Senate hearing

Anthony Fauci, who spent 38 years leading the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) until his retirement in 2022, will appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday. This is the second time he has been called to Congress to discuss pandemic origins since leaving government service.

The hearing, chaired by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, is part of a long-running GOP investigation into the origins of Covid-19. Paul has claimed that Americans were told a lab origin was unlikely, but now the theory has gained traction among Republicans. Fauci, who advised seven U.S. presidents and guided the nation through health crises including HIV, Ebola, and the 2001 anthrax attacks, is expected to be questioned about whether the virus leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan.

In advance of the hearing, more than 150 infectious disease experts and scientists published an open letter defending Fauci. They stated that no credible evidence supports allegations that he covered up the virus's origins, bribed other scientists, or that NIAID-funded research caused the pandemic. The letter also noted that Fauci and his family have faced harassment and threats of violence for five years.

Meanwhile, the Senate also confirmed Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence despite concerns over his lack of experience and potential politicization. Senators advanced the "Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act" with an 86-12 vote. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, visiting Washington, told Fox News that Donald Trump had again agreed to allow Ukraine to manufacture its own Patriot air defense interceptors.