A prominent US infectious disease expert, Fauci faced rigorous questioning from US’ Republican lawmakers during his first public appearance before Congress since stepping down from his White House advisory role in 2022.
For over a year, he has been under scrutiny from Republicans on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic for his role in managing the pandemic response.
On Monday, 3 June 2024, he contested assertions that there was any effort to conceal evidence indicating the virus might have leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China.
Fauci also addressed questions about National Institute of Health’s (NIH) funding for virology research at the Wuhan lab.
In 2014, the US-based organisation EcoHealth Alliance received a grant from the NIH to investigate potential coronaviruses from bats. Part of this funding was allocated to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, but the agreement was terminated in April 2020.
In a report declassified last year, US intelligence agencies concluded there was no direct evidence supporting the theory that Covid-19 originated from a Chinese laboratory.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated that both natural and laboratory origins remain plausible scenarios.
