Florida AG Threatens Fauci Investigation After Senate Hearing
Explorehotelworld.com – Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Wednesday that his office will launch a formal investigation into Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The announcement follows Fauci’s controversial decision to invoke his Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer any questions during a congressional hearing. Uthmeier expressed frustration with what he described as Fauci’s lack of transparency before lawmakers.
“Fauci’s lack of candor to Congress is unbelievable,” Uthmeier wrote in a statement posted on X. “My office is launching an investigation into Dr. Fauci. It’s past time we get the truth of what happened during COVID.”
Scope of the Investigation
In an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, Uthmeier outlined the investigation’s parameters. “In light of recent reports exposed by Senator Rand Paul, we will investigate any and all potential violations of Florida law involving Anthony Fauci,” the attorney general explained. “Our inquiry will focus on what Fauci knew, when he knew it, and how he misled the American people.”
The investigation will examine both physical and monetary harms that may have resulted from Fauci’s alleged deceptions. Uthmeier’s office will determine whether the former COVID czar’s conduct exposes him to liability under Florida state law. The attorney general specifically cited revelations published by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., which revealed internal notes Fauci wrote on government computers during his tenure at NIAID.
These internal notes, which Paul and others have referred to as Fauci’s “diary,” suggest that the doctor appeared to publicly overstate the death rate from COVID-19 compared to what he documented privately. “[Former CDC Director] Tom Frieden called me this AM and we discussed various aspects of the outbreak,” Fauci wrote on February 8, 2020. “He and I are on the same page in thinking tht [sic] this is acting like a bad influenza in its transmissibility and that the denominator is much greater than 34,867 (above) making the case fatality rate (CFR) more like 0.2-0.3 % rather than 2.0%,” Fauci’s entry concluded.
However, a month later during congressional testimony to the House Oversight Committee on March 11, 2020, Fauci pegged the mortality rate at 1%. “I think if you count all the cases of minimally symptomatic or asymptomatic infection, that probably brings the mortality rate down to somewhere around 1%, which means it is 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu,” he testified.
When called to testify on the revelations before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Fauci exercised his Fifth Amendment right and refused to answer legislators’ questions 111 times. Uthmeier is not the only Republican to take aim at the former COVID czar in light of the revelations.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Wednesday that Fauci should be held in congressional contempt for refusing to answer questions despite receiving a presidential pardon. “I think Anthony Fauci has had contempt for Congress and contempt for the American people for decades,” Cruz stated. “His diary shows that he deliberately lied to the American people over and over and over again.” Paul, for his part, said his committee will vote on whether to hold Fauci in contempt next week.
“My office is launching an investigation into Dr. Fauci. It’s past time we get the truth of what happened during COVID.” — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Florida AG James Uthmeier investigating? Uthmeier is investigating potential violations of Florida law involving Dr. Anthony Fauci, focusing on what the former NIAID director knew about COVID-19, when he knew it, and whether he misled the American public.
Why did Fauci invoke his Fifth Amendment right? Fauci chose to exercise his Fifth Amendment right during a Senate hearing on Wednesday, refusing to answer 111 questions from legislators. Critics argue this demonstrates a lack of transparency regarding his actions during the pandemic.
What did Fauci’s diary reveal? Internal notes written by Fauci on government computers suggest he privately believed the COVID-19 case fatality rate was closer to 0.2-0.3%, significantly lower than the 2.0% rate he publicly cited at times.
What are the next steps in this investigation? Uthmeier’s office will examine physical and monetary harms to Floridians. Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul’s committee plans to vote on whether to hold Fauci in congressional contempt next week.
Has Fauci received any legal protections? Yes, Fauci received a presidential pardon, which Sen. Ted Cruz noted does not prevent Congress from holding him in contempt for refusing to answer questions during the hearing.
