U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said the Department of Justice must move quickly to prosecute former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci as a key legal deadline approaches.
“I’ve said it from the beginning: lying to Congress is a felony,” Paul wrote in an April 29 post on X. “Destroying federal records is a felony. Advising others to destroy federal records is a felony. Fauci did all three. His adviser was just indicted. Fauci is next. The deadline to prosecute Fauci is May 11. The DOJ must act now.”
The renewed pressure follows the indictment of Fauci’s former senior adviser, David Morens, on federal charges tied to the alleged destruction and concealment of government records related to COVID-19 research. The New York Post reported that prosecutors accused Morens of using private email accounts and other methods to evade federal record-keeping requirements.
The outlet reported that the indictment includes multiple felony counts, including conspiracy and the destruction or falsification of federal records, which could carry significant prison time upon conviction.
The New York Post further reported that the case has intensified calls from Republican lawmakers and watchdog groups to examine Fauci’s prior congressional testimony about U.S. funding of coronavirus research in Wuhan, China, particularly whether such funding supported gain-of-function experiments.
According to the New York Post, the timing is critical because a five-year statute of limitations on potential false-statement charges related to Fauci’s congressional testimony is set to expire May 11, adding urgency to demands for DOJ action.
Fauci has denied wrongdoing and has maintained that the National Institutes of Health did not fund gain-of-function research in Wuhan, as noted by the Post. The outlet also reported that questions remain about the origins of COVID-19 and whether a laboratory-related incident or natural transmission was responsible.
The Post additionally reported that legal questions have surfaced regarding a reported pardon issued to Fauci at the end of the Biden administration, with some analysts suggesting its scope could be tested if prosecutors move forward.
Paul, a Republican, has represented Kentucky in the U.S. Senate since 2011 after first being elected in 2010. According to his official Senate biography, he is a physician by training and previously practiced ophthalmology in Bowling Green before entering politics. He has served on multiple Senate committees and has been a leading voice on government oversight, fiscal policy, and limiting federal power.
