More than 155 scientists, physicians and public health advocates have called for an end to what they describe as the “vilification and harassment of many American scientists” by the Trump administration and its allies. In an open letter published one day before Anthony Fauci, the former top US government science adviser, is scheduled to appear at a high-profile hearing in US Congress, the signatories dismissed allegations against the ex-National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Niaid) director as “baseless”.
Background of the hearing
Fauci, 85, who helped guide the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic as director of the Niaid, is set to testify under subpoena before the Senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee on Wednesday. The committee, chaired by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, is investigating the origins of the virus and whether US federal officials, including Fauci, misled the public and Congress about the source of the outbreak.
Allegations of a 'war on scientists'
The letter alleges that the Trump administration and its congressional allies are “waging a war on individual scientists, through public harassment, arrests, criminal indictment and ongoing threats of prosecution”. It states that several scientists have come under scrutiny, but argues that “the most prominent target of the administration and its allies” is Fauci, who left the federal government in 2022 after leading the Niaid for 38 years.
“The charges against Dr Fauci are baseless, suggesting he covered up the origins of Covid, that he 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’s working with intelligence agencies to suppress the true story of the pandemic,” the letter states. “No credible evidence has been produced to support these absurd charges.”
Harassment and threats of violence
The letter adds that the allegations have led to a “five-year period of harassment and threats of violence directed at Dr Fauci and his family”. It continues: “Now, this month, he is being subpoenaed by Congress once again.” The signatories note that in over 60 years of public service, Fauci has led the US through epidemics of HIV and Covid, outbreaks of Ebola and Sars 1, and the 2001 anthrax attacks. “He has worked tirelessly to advance science and protect the public’s health,” the letter says.
“As the congressional hearings targeting Dr Fauci approach, we are urging our elected representatives in Congress stop these witch-hunts and support good public health and scientific practices so that America’s leadership in innovation remains secure,” the letter concludes.
Fauci's testimony and diary entries
Ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, Paul released thousands of pages of Fauci’s diary entries from during the Covid-19 pandemic, which showed Fauci’s efforts to manage the pandemic, navigate his relationship with Donald Trump, and reflect on his public profile. Fauci has said over the years that research has “strongly suggested” the coronavirus most likely emerged through natural origins, probably from animal-to-human transmission. But he has insisted he keeps a “completely open mind” about other possibilities, including the theory that the virus may have leaked from a lab in China in 2019, and has denied allegations by some Republican lawmakers that he sought to suppress that theory.
Before Trump returned to office last year, Joe Biden issued a pre-emptive pardon to Fauci and other senior officials. Despite the pardon, Paul has referred Fauci to the Department of Justice for “potential criminal prosecution”.
