WASHINGTON – Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top immunologist who lead the COVID-19 response in the United States, said he’s “not convinced” that the deadly virus was naturally developed and encouraged further investigation into its origins.
During a Poynter event earlier this month, Fauci was asked by PolitiFact managing editor Katie Sanders if he still believed the virus was developed naturally.
“No, actually,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) said. “I’m not convinced about that, and I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability exactly what happened.”
He highlighted how the virus was believed to originate from an animal, and he said, “it could have been something else, and we need to find that out.”
This is a change from his earlier viewpoints. During an interview with National Geographic in May of 2020, a year ago, Fauci believed the virus likely came from animals and transmitted to humans.
“If you look at the evolution of the virus in bats, and what’s out there now is very, very strongly leaning toward this [virus] could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated-the way the mutations have naturally evolved,” he said during the interview on May 4, 2020. “A number of very qualified evolutionary biologists have said that everything about the stepwise evolution over time strongly indicates that it evolved in nature and then jumped species.”
During a Senate hearing on May 11, Fauci was grilled over the origin of the virus and whether or not it originated in a lab in Wuhan, China, where the virus was first reported in December of 2019.
“Do you think it’s possible that COVID-19 arose from a lab accident in Wuhan, and should it be fully investigated?” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) asked.
“That possibility certainly exists, and I am totally in favor of a full investigation of whether that could have happened, ” Fauci answered.
As usual, Tucker has the most information.
When asked by Sen. Marshall if the virus is not naturally occurring, Fauci said “that is a possibility.” However, he added that he didn’t know if the United States was ever going to be able to prove that, but said he supports the World Health Organization investigation into the coronavirus’s origins.
“Will you, in front of this group, categorically say that the COVID-19 could not have occurred through serial passage in a laboratory?” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) asked Fauci.
“I do not have any accounting of what the Chinese may have done,” Fauci responded. “I’m fully in favor of any further investigation of what when on in China.”
⚠️ "After @RandPaul dragged Fauci over pandemic misinformation (and fact that NIH funded risky collaborations at the Wuhan Institute) he furiously backpedaled over the origins of [covid] in an effort to redirect attention from his own culpability." #ampFW https://t.co/jAPa2Y0Rzz
— FreedomWorks (@FreedomWorks) May 24, 2021
On Thursday, GOP members of the House Intelligence Committee released a report to Fox News that claimed there was “significant circumstantial evidence” that the coronavirus originated from a leak at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology.
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Too much information leaking out to cast doubt on the original story. Its China, Fauci—you’d best believe that INTENT had a lot to do with it. After all, they have been as cooperative as the Dems with the Russia probe.
HE could literally be shown VIDEO FOOTAGE Of chinese scientists whipping it up, and leaking it into the air. HE’d IMO STILL say “nothing to see there”.
“Fauci Flips Story On Likely Origin Of Covid 19”
I think Fauci is about as credible as the demented puppet president Betrayal Biden.
Fauci helped fund the virus from the Wuhan Lab and this fraud is trying to coverup what he did to facilitate the gain of function research that he approved of, that cost millions of people their lives and that shut down economies all over the world. Fauci supports the World Health Organization, that is in bed with the Chinese. Also, on Laura Ingraham’s show, early last year, Fauci stated that the scientists are friends of him and that he trusts them. Yep, Fauci trusts scientists in a lab where communist party members tell the scientists what to say. When Laura Ingraham challenged Fauci on his friendship with scientists in a communist lab, Fauci defended his friendship, with these scientists. Fauci should be tried as a criminal for what he helped bring upon the world (death and destruction of economies).
SINCE the entire gop is too spineless to do jack about it, WHAT exactly doe she have to fear, if the truth came out “THAT HE HELPED Fund this”>??
Fauci is and has always been a fraud. He is wrong almost as often as Biden (who is wrong virtually all of the time) Why is this man not locked up?
BTW, the question I posed applies to Joe and Little Tony. 🙂
Trump could do nothing about this POS because he was politically protected by the left. He should at least be in prison, if not on death row.
HOW was he protected, in march last year?? HE COULD HAVE imo been fired back then..
I don’t think that anyone who actually took the time to consider all the Covid issues could possibly buy into the “meat market/bat ****” that has been presented for the past 16 months. One would have to be daft to think that this kind excuse passes the smell test. It’s like a six year old with chocolate and crumbs all over his face telling his mom that it wasn’t him that raided the cookie jar. The only question left is what the Chi Coms were working on and why. Was it an “accident” or “purposeful”?
Precise timing to bring down our economy, and President Trump. “Accident or purposeful”? No such thing as coincidence.
Sorry I could only give you one 5 star.
Hell no. THERE IS NOTHING about the timing of its release to me, that is in anyway ‘coincidental/. NONE WHAT SO bloody ever.
Speedle, I believe you are on to something. Fauci, while a total fraud is not stupid, so the only logical conclusion is he is and has been in collusion with the far left and China. After all he is the highest paid government employee
Only here, there are higher paid people than him on the China payroll.
More like leaks have called into doubt the “wet market” path.
The Chinese have behaved as if they have something to hide.
Maybe they do.
They don’t need to hide anything. It’s not like slo joe the demented is going to do anything.
Nor will the gop or dept of injustice..
The first several people confirmed to have come down with this **** had never been to that market.
If it’s Tuesday, this must be Fauci Opinion #47 (on the origin of COVID-19, or the efficacy of masks, or social distancing, or casual sex – take your pick… HE does)!
The “Rats” are trying to cover their ***es!
What, Tony TwoMask change his story? Who would have expected that? Maybe he has divested himself of all his Covid related investments.
It’s CHINA FLU just like President Trump said, both in its origin and responsibility for spread. China lied (about human transmission) and people died…in the millions unnecessarily. China saved its own main cities by locking down domestic travel but sent planeloads of the infected to every corner of the globe and decimated its financial rivals NYC and London while Beijing stayed safe.
minaka That is an excellent conclusion to what has occurred the past 19 months! And, China is just devious enough to pull it off.
AND since we’ve seen for decades “THEY CARE NOT ABOUT THEIR OWN DAMN citizens”, does anyone honestly think they wouldn’t have deliberately LET THIS VIRUS OUT, to infect the entire world??
Anne Coulter has been pushing the natural occurring “wet-market” bat virus line all year. The Wuhan lab always made more sense.
I am glad that Tony F. isn’t my heart doctor who is trying to decide if I need a heart replacement or I should just take a walk everyday. If given the choice, he would probably use elephants to stamp out piss ants.
The** difference being that Ann is not a virologist. She’s a commentator, reliant on people like Fauci, doing their jobs. Sadly, the buck stops no where and no one is focused on the guilty.
The same lack of focus is evident in blaming Pence and Nikki Haley who, while not perfect, are not the guilty parties. FOCUS PEOPLE! The Dems and RINO’s and those who refuse to do their jobs in holding criminals accountable.
Coulter is on occasion right about some stuff. BUT IN REGARDS to this, she is as wrong as fauci is.
Why can’t the media get this guy’s name right? It is not Tony Fauci, it is Phony Fauci… as phony as a $3 bill.
(Fauci) “said he supports the World Health Organization investigation into the coronavirus’s origins.”
Nothing to fear from them.
Might as well ask the MOB to investigate the mob’s criminal activities.. for all the good it would do.
“Finger to the wind” Fauci. More self-absorbed politician than scientist.
If growing evidence does point to Fauci funding part of the Wuhan “experiments”, would that make him a candidate for investigation as a material accomplice for a crime against humanity by the Hague?