Top House GOP members are seeking the unredacted conversations from Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about the COVID-19 pandemic, and calling on him to testify. This move comes after thousands of Fauci's emails were exposed to the public this week.

House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, the top Republican on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, and House Oversight Committee Ranking Member James Comer wrote to committee Democrats, saying that it is vital for Fauci to testify before the committees on the COVID-19 origins and the US government's response. 

They added in their letter that they should pursue the unredacted versions of all of Fauci's newly released emails because the American people have a right to know what the government knew about the pandemic's origins and when it was known.

Republicans demand Fauci testify before House committees

The two Republicans said that House Democrats' continuing inactivity in the face of overwhelming proof of the Chinese Communist Party's harmful behavior is concerning. Thousands of Fauci's emails were released this week as part of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, indicating that his staff hurried in early 2020 to respond to public reporting on the virus leaking from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Officials were concerned about previous US participation with the laboratory, according to the emails.

According to The Epoch Times, both Fauci and NIH Director Francis Collins refused to fund gain of function research at the Wuhan lab, which entails experiments targeted at improving a virus's transmissibility or virulence. Documents reveal that in 2014, nearly $600,000 of funding awarded to the EcoHealth Alliance was diverted to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to study coronavirus in bats.

Read Also: COVID-19 Origins Probe: WHO Reviews Research on When Coronavirus Entered Italy, Indicates Experts Track Down Virus Outside China

Fauci denied being silenced by former President Trump

Fauci had little patience with claims that his early pandemic remarks were influenced by the Trump administration, as per the emails. "Please keep silent because I have not been muzzled. I'll be on several television shows tomorrow, and I was on FOX this morning. I'm not being censored by anyone," Fauci wrote in a March 2020 email, denying that he had been muted by Trump, as per NY Post.

After the emails were released, Republicans slammed Fauci, pointing out that he received warnings that the virus may have been "designed." On Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who argued with Fauci on several pandemic-related matters this year, used the hashtag #FireFauci.

What Fauci told about COVID-19 origins?

According to the emails, Fauci was informed early on in the pandemic that the COVID-19 may have man-made origins. He got an email from a senior US virus expert in January 2020, stating that the infection's unusual traits may imply it was "designed." Nonetheless, he and other specialists at the time disregarded the contentious allegation. 

In April, Francis Collins, the head of the National Institute of Health, sent Fauci an email with the subject line "Conspiracy Gains Momentum," which included a link to a Mediaite post on a discussion on Fox News's "Hannity" show. The rest of the email, as well as Fauci's response, were redacted.

White House defends Fauci amid scrutiny of released emails

Fauci is an "undeniable asset" in the US response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to press secretary Jen Psaki. US President Joe Biden has also requested an investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

On Thursday, Biden also announced that the US will contribute 25 million doses of excess coronavirus vaccine to Covax, a worldwide organization dedicated to ensuring that vaccinations are properly distributed across the world. "The president and the administration feel that Fauci has played an extraordinary role in keeping the pandemic under control and being a voice to the public throughout this crisis," Psaki said during her daily press briefing on Thursday, as per BBC News.

Allies of Fauci claim his emails reflect nothing more than a diligent public servant navigating the early days of a once-in-a-century pandemic. However, conservative critics believe Fauci was involved in a cover-up and lied to Congress.

Related Article: Anthony Fauci Seeks Further Probe As He Is Dubious of COVID-19 Having Developed Naturally

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