‘Delete After Reading’: Fauci’s Incriminating Email Trail Exposed

A trove of newly unearthed emails from Dr. Anthony Fauci’s time in government suggests that he was cautious about sharing the full picture of his work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Copies of the emails, released this week by the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, appear to contradict previous testimony given by Fauci to lawmakers.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) sent copies of the emails to Fauci along with a letter demanding that he return to answer questions about discrepancies between the documents and his testimony.

During a House Select Subcommittee hearing on the pandemic in June 2024, Fauci was asked by lawmakers if he had ever deleted correspondence related “to the Wuhan lab or the origins of the virus” that would be otherwise made available through the Freedom of Information Act. Fauci denied ever doing so.

But this week, Sen. Paul presented Fauci with evidence to the contrary, writing that in an “email dated February 2, 2020,” Fauci directed then-NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins to “Please delete this e-mail after you read it.”

“In another email dated July 20, 2020, to an NIH employee [Fauci] stated, ‘I do not want to engage any more with this nonsense. And so, please delete this e-mail after you read it,'” Paul writes.

The Kentucky Republican is demanding that Fauci return within the next two weeks to answer further questions under oath.

Members of the Homeland Security Committee have also provided Fauci with dates in October, November, and December when they expect him to appear for questioning.

Paul, a fierce critic of the pandemic lockdowns and mandates, has been dogged in his efforts to uncover the reasons behind the government’s response to COVID-19.

The senator told the Daily Mail in July that he was preparing to subpoena Fauci as part of an expanded investigation into federal funding of the Wuhan lab in China, where authorities now believe the virus originated. Paul has criticized spending on gain-of-function research to test deadly variations of the coronavirus.

“After we’ve gotten a fuller understanding [of] how the decision was made, we are going to ask him to come in, and, if need be, subpoena him to come in to discuss why he made the decision to fund the research in Wuhan,” Paul told the outlet about his plans.

However, it remains unclear if Fauci will ever return to answer questions in front of lawmakers. He was granted a preemptive pardon by former President Joe Biden just days before leaving office and which would likely shield him from any consequences related to decisions made during the pandemic.

Still, Paul hasn’t given up, he said.

“We’re looking at their communications and ultimately the decisions of this committee, we believe, had to be certified by Anthony Fauci himself,” he explained.