News that the Bethesda, Maryland-based National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded Gain-of-Function research in Wuhan, China has prompted certain members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation to condemn Anthony Fauci as a liar and to demand drastic changes.
Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) tweeted about the matter on Thursday.
“For months, I’ve been urging Dr. Fauci to come clean about the fact that NIH funded gain-of-function research in Wuhan. Yesterday, NIH finally admitted it,” Harshbarger wrote.
Harshbarger, in her tweet, linked to a Washington Examiner column she wrote in June urging Fauci to tell the truth.
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) tweeted Thursday that “Fauci lied to Congress. He knew we were funding gain of function research, and he lied about it. This admission is long overdue. #FauciLied.”
Later that day, Blackburn tweeted that “Fauci lied, Americans died. #FireFauci.”
Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) also offered his thoughts on Thursday.
“NIH now admits Dr. Fauci misled Congress and the American public,” Hagerty tweeted.
“The agency he leads did in fact fund gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Technology. He should resign immediately.”
William Bensur, spokesman for Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02), told The Tennessee Star via email Thursday that “Burchett believes the government must stop sending money to China for this type of research.”
“We should have never sent this funding there in the first place. The Chinese Communist Party is a bad actor and no friend of the United States.”
Staff for Representative Charles Fleischmann (R-TN-03), Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04), Representative John Rose (R-TN-06), Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07), and Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) did not return The Star’s requests for comment before Thursday’s stated deadline.
Blackburn this week announced she is co-sponsoring legislation to place a moratorium on Gain-of-Function (GOF) research, which many believe played a role in the outbreak of COVID-19.
GOF experiments enhance the severity or transmissibility of a virus or other biological agents. NIH staff have condoned such research “to help us understand the fundamental nature of human-pathogen interactions, assess the pandemic potential of emerging infectious agents and inform public health and preparedness efforts.” The NIH staff have, however, acknowledged major “biosafety and biosecurity risks” that warrant meticulous oversight.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DRTA) have provided grants in the past to EcoHealth Alliance, a company that has engaged in such risky research in partnership with China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) where the novel coronavirus is theorized to have originated.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Our Republican Representatives in Washington always file legislation when they’re out of power, and know it won’t get passed. Then, when they’re IN power, they let bygones be bygones. Democrats don’t do that. They’re STILL going after Trump. We need a third political Party- with testicles.
they wont do anything but talk.
if they were people of action he’d be charged with crimes by now.
fire the puppy killer!
if you listened to Anthony Fauci you would clearly see the man in a liar. there is a difference between one who lied and one who is a liar. Fauci is the latter, his position is constantly changing. What he said two weeks ago is different than what he said last week which is opposed to what he will say this week. Congress needs to charge him with perjury. Main stream media does not hold him accountable. The democrats love him, he’ll prostitute his story to fit their needs. To our Tennessee delegation, “thank you, keep pushing”!
Fired my ass, sob belongs in jail next to lying PedoJoe, the China ho!
Fauci needs to be fired and charged!
Hmmm,yes. Not doing anything requires a great deal of careful deliberation. Take your time,GOP. It’s not like people have been fired who have families to feed.
THE COWARDS IN DC WON’T DO ANYTHING, JUST AS THEY DIDN’T WHEN BILL CLINTON COMMITTED PERJURY.
Whatever!
Hilary lied to Congress, Lerner lied to Congress, Holder lied to Congress, Blasey Ford lied to Congress….and none…I repeat, NONE of them were held accountable!
Fauci should be giving a blindfold and a cigarette but we all know he’s gonna retire with his phat pension and offshore bank accounts.
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Most ordinary people would be charged with perjury. Is this an example of ‘white privilege?’
I am always fascinated how white men / public servants, who commit crimes, get away with it.
Fascinating how only black man go to jail for possessing a plant that grows wild in mother nature.
You’re starting to sound like BLM, Antifa, et al ad nauseam…stop trying to turn everything into a racial issue. It’s not “white privilege” or anything even remotely resembling it. It’s just left-wing/Marxist politics, pure and simple!. If you’re part of the elite, you can say and do anything you please and get away with it; if you’re not part of the elite, you don’t even need to do anything wrong to be persecuted by Lyin’ Joe’s weaponized DOJ/FBI/IRS/etc.
And, for the record, there are plenty of non-white women who have gotten away with serious crimes in the last few years. I’m thinking of people like Stacey Abrams, Ilhan Omar, AOC, Kamala Harris,, Lori Lightfoot to name just a few..
I was making a funny. ‘If you’re part of the (Democratic White) elite, you can say and do anything you please and get away with it; if you’re not part of the elite, you don’t even need to do anything wrong to be persecuted by Lyin’ Joe’s weaponized DOJ/FBI/IRS/etc.’