Scientists have rallied to Anthony Fauci’s defense ahead of an unusual hearing, the second time the longtime National Institutes of Health scientist has appeared before Congress to discuss pandemic origins since leaving the government in 2022. Fauci, who became familiar to millions of Americans during the Covid-19 pandemic, spent decades helping guide the nation through outbreaks including HIV, Ebola and the 2001 anthrax attacks while advising seven presidents.
In a public letter, more than 150 infectious disease experts and other scientists said that
“no credible evidence has been produced to support these absurd charges”and that they are
“urging our elected representatives in Congress stop these witch-hunts.”
The letter said the allegations against Fauci include claims that he covered up the origins of Covid, bribed or persuaded other scientists to join his cover-up, that Niaid-funded research sparked the pandemic, that he personally holds patents on the virus, and that he is working with intelligence agencies to suppress the true story of the pandemic. It added that
“No credible evidence has been produced to support these absurd charges.”
The letter also said the allegations and accusations against Fauci have led to a
“five-year period of harassment and threats of violence directed at Dr Fauci and his family”.
What is the Senate hearing expected to focus on?
Senators are expected to question the former veteran director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Niaid) about whether the Covid-19 virus began as a “lab leak” in a high-profile hearing later today. Fauci, who served as a key adviser to Donald Trump and Joe Biden on the Covid-19 pandemic, will give testimony as part of a longstanding Republican investigation into the origins of the pandemic led by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Fauci will likely be quizzed about whether the Covid-19 virus began as a “lab leak”, a claim virologists have argued is unlikely. While Republicans have characterized their work as investigating “the origins of Covid-19 and risky taxpayer-funded life science research”, scientists have described Paul’s investigation as “vilification and harassment” of Fauci, who led Niaid for 38 years before retiring in 2022.
“For years, Americans were told a lab origin wasn’t just unlikely – it was dismissed outright by the very people funding and reviewing this research,”Paul, who chairs the Senate committee on homeland security and governmental affairs, where Fauci is scheduled to testify, said last week.
Fauci, who is 85, served under seven US presidents and through numerous health crises, including the HIV crisis, Ebola outbreaks and the first coronavirus outbreak, called Covid-19. He became a household name overnight when the Covid-19 pandemic halted social life in 2020.
Why has the lab leak theory gained traction among Republicans?
The “lab leak” theory has since gained significant traction in Republican circles. In just one example, the White House published a document on the theory in April 2025 that served as a rationale for defunding the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What other developments are happening in Washington?
Donald Trump met Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, and Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, before giving the eulogy at the funeral of Lindsey Graham.
The US Senate voted to confirm Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence, installing Donald Trump’s pick in the role despite his lack of prior experience with intelligence and concerns that he will be
“Trump’s election conspiracy wingman”.
With Volodymyr Zelenskyy watching from the Senate gallery, the US Senate voted 86 to 12 to advance the
“”.
Democratic senators said that they would work to eliminate the expansive tariff authority the sanctions bill would give Trump.
Ukraine’s president, , told Fox News on Tuesday that Donald Trump had, again, agreed to allow Ukraine to manufacture its own Patriot air defense interceptors to defend against Russian ballistic missile attacks.
