Despite a preemptive pardon by former President Joe Biden that offers him some legal protection at the federal level, Dr. Anthony Fauci could still face dire legal consequence — including prison — as part of a new investigation.
A 17-state investigation being led by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, told reporters late last week that state attorneys general are hoping to open an investigation into Dr. Anthony Fauci’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic response.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is leading a 17-state investigation into Dr. Anthony Fauci and told Newsmax on Friday that the states “could be a vehicle for accountability” depending on what the probe uncovers. https://t.co/7tcBKhc914
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They allege mismanagement, misleading statements and suppression of scientific debate by the infectious disease expert who spearheaded the nation’s response to COVID.
In a letter to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Wilson cited “ongoing congressional efforts to uncover misconduct” and request state-level cooperation in pursuing any violations of state laws.
In the report, Wilson cited the following as the basis for a state-level investigation:
- Evidence suggests Fauci worked to discredit the “lab leak” theory despite mounting evidence supporting it.
- Fauci allegedly provided false testimony regarding National Institutes of Health-funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
- The NIH reportedly mismanaged taxpayer funds by failing to properly oversee grants to EcoHealth Alliance, which funneled funding to the Wuhan lab.
- Prominent scientists who raised concerns about vaccine risks were allegedly silenced, limiting public awareness of potential side effects.
Wilson told Newsmax that the states “could be a vehicle for accountability” depending on what the probe uncovers.
“We don’t know yet what we don’t know,” Wilson said.
“But what we do know is that when [former President] Joe Biden did those 11th hour pardons that preemptively excused Anthony Fauci and all other malign actors in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago, it left a bad taste in the mouths of a lot of people.
“I want to send a message to all of those people who were pardoned that if the Congress and the Trump administration is able to provide all the states that are on this letter with the information, we are happy to evaluate it, to see what, if any, legal recourse we can take, civil or criminal,” he said.
“No one is above the law. And while Mr. Fauci says he represents the science, we represent the law.”
Wilson said the type of action the attorneys general could take would be “fact-specific” and dependent on what the investigation reveals.
“There are consumer protection laws on the books here in South Carolina, and there are potential criminal laws that we could be evaluating, but we don’t know,” he said.
“We don’t yet know what laws we would be pursuing until we have a specific set of facts. I have looked at the report that the House select subcommittee on the response to the coronavirus pandemic [put together]. I looked at that report, and obviously there’s evidence that he misled the U.S. and the public on the lab leak theory, on the gain of function research funding, that he possibly misled us on other things.
“I want the members and the leadership of Congress and the Trump administration to share with the states, because while the federal government and the Department of Justice are prohibited from pursuing potential criminal actions, that the states could be a vehicle of legal recourse,” Wilson continued. “We are not prohibited from pursuing any legal actions that might exist, depending on what the facts are. This is not a witch hunt. This is a signal to those people who Biden pardoned, this is a signal to them that no one is above the law and if the states are able and capable to pursue an actionable fact pattern, we certainly will do that.”
Wilson also added that South Caroline residents specifically are “outraged” and “infuriated” by Biden’s last-minute pardons for Fauci and others.
“It makes them believe more now than ever that there was a crime committed,” Wilson said. “I’m not saying that there was, but the people believe that something is being covered up.”
Joe Biden, in one of his final acts as president, pardoned Fauci, along with retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, in an extraordinary use of executive power to guard against potential “revenge” by the new Trump administration.