Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., says former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci deserves to be in jail.
"Without question ... this man was a traitor to his country," Paul told Fox News during a recent interview when asked whether he thought Fauci deserved to be put away.
Paul has a contentious history with Fauci, marked by disputes concerning the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination policies. He has also alleged that the former infectious diseases expert provided conflicting statements to Congress, both publicly and privately.
"We now possess evidence in Anthony Fauci's own communications, in his emails," Paul said during his conversation with Fox.
"In public, he’s saying, 'Oh, if you say it came from the lab, you’re a conspiracy theorist, you’re crazy, it’s a fringe theory,'" he continued. "But in private, he’s saying … 'We’re very concerned because the virus appears to be manipulated. And we’re also very concerned because we know they’re doing gain of function research in Wuhan.'"
Paul said this double speak is why he referred Fauci to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
However, he believes Garland, whom he characterized as "the most partisan attorney general" in history, was neglecting his duty by shielding Fauci from scrutiny.
In response to calls for his prosecution in March regarding his management of the COVID-19 outbreak, Dr. Fauci retorted, "[T]here's no response to that craziness."
"I mean, prosecute me for what? What are they talking about? I mean, I wish I could figure out what the heck they were talking about. I think they’re just going off the deep end," Fauci said. "It doesn’t make any sense to say something like that, and it actually is irresponsible."
Paul has articulated his convictions in his forthcoming book, "Deception: The Great Covid Cover-Up," slated for release next week. During his conversation with Hannity, the senator hinted at the possibility of further actions being taken against Dr. Fauci, emphasizing, "We deserve to know what happened."