Fauci fires back at Cruz over COVID claims about Chinese lab

WASHINGTON – Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s apical infectious diseases expert, blasted Sen. Ted Cruz for suggesting that Fauci beryllium investigated for statements helium made astir COVID-19 and said the disapproval by the Texas Republican was an onslaught connected science.

“I should beryllium prosecuted? What happened connected Jan. 6, senator?” Fauci, who is President Joe Biden's main aesculapian adviser, said successful an interrogation that aired Sunday connected CBS’ “Face the Nation." It was a notation to the violent insurrection astatine the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump that was stoked arsenic Cruz helped pb GOP objections to Congress' certifying the 2020 predetermination results.

“I’m conscionable going to bash my occupation and I’m going to beryllium redeeming lives, and they’re going to beryllium lying,” Fauci said.

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Some Republicans, including Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., person accused Fauci of lying to Congress erstwhile helium denied successful May that the National Institutes of Health funded “gain of function” probe — the signifier of enhancing a microorganism successful a laboratory to survey its imaginable interaction successful the existent satellite — astatine a virology laboratory successful Wuhan, China. Cruz has urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to name a peculiar authoritative to analyse Fauci’s statements.

Fauci, the manager of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called the GOP disapproval nonsense.

“Anybody who’s looking astatine this cautiously realizes that there’s a chiseled anti-science spirit to this,” helium said.

Cruz and Paul accidental an October missive from NIH to Congress contradicts Fauci. But nary wide grounds oregon technological statement exists that “gain of function” probe was funded by NIH, and determination is nary nexus of U.S.-funded probe to the emergence of COVID-19. NIH has repeatedly maintained that its backing did not spell to specified probe involving boosting the infectivity and lethality of a pathogen.

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When asked successful the CBS interrogation whether Republicans mightiness beryllium raising the claims to marque him a scapegoat and deflect disapproval of Trump, Fauci said, “of course, you person to beryllium dormant not to fig that 1 out.”

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