Confronted by the increasingly plausible lab-leak theory of the origin of the novel coronavirus gained traction, White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci adamantly declared in Senate testimony Tuesday that the National Institutes of Health under his watch did not fund dangerous “gain-of-function” research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
But a press release from the institute recounts a May 2017 conference in which recipients of grants from Fauci’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases – a branch of NIH – headlined a conference hosted by the Wuhan lab focusing on “gain of function research and gene editing.”
The National Pulse exclusively reported the press release on the conference, which was titled “2nd China-U.S. Workshop on the Challenges of Emerging Infections, Laboratory Safety and Global Health Security.”
The first of five sessions at the conference focused on “gain of function research, gene editing, targeting and delivery and other novel biotechnology.”
Among the special guests were American professors Linda Saif, James LeDuc and David Relman. In total, the three scientists have received nearly 200 grants from the National Institutes of Health. And 75 of those grants came the NIAID, which Fauci has directed since 1984.
On Tuesday, Fauci was confronted in Senate hearing by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who charged that the NIH funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab through the private EcoHealth Alliance led by Dr. Peter Daszak.
Fauci emphatically declared “the NIH and NIAID categorically has not funded gain-of-function research to be conducted in the Wuhan Institute.”
NIH grant records verify that funds were sent to EcoHealth Alliance that were used for research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The question is whether or not those funds were used for gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab.
Paul, in an interview Wednesday morning on Fox News’ “American Newsroom,” pointed to a paper by the chief researcher at the Wuhan lab, Dr. Shi Zengli, on her research of bat coronaviruses, titled “Origin and evolution of pathogenic coronaviruses”
First, her paper clearly acknowledged the funding came from Fauci’s NAID. And second, Paul said, MIT scientists who have examined the paper conclude she was doing gain-of-function research with that funding.
The paper’s introduction, in fact, describes the risky gain-of-function studies, which alter a pathogen to make it more transmissible or deadly so that experts can prepare a response in case of an outbreak. Shi and her colleagues write that their research examines the “potential for pathogenesis of SARS-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoVs) … found in bats, as this information can help prepare countermeasures against future spillover and pathogenic infections in humans with novel coronaviruses.”
Fauci, Paul claimed, “is verifiably telling you something that is not true.”
“Dr. Fauci came to Congress yesterday and lied,” he told Bill Hemmer. “We can’t prove the virus came from the lab. I’m not saying it did. I’m saying there is very much suspicious evidence that it might have.”
Paul charged Fauci is lying because he is “worried about culpability.”
See the interview with Sen. Rand Paul:
This story was originally published by the WND News Center
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In 2014, Fauci opposed Obama’s ban on Gain-Of-Function research, saying it was “worth the risk.” The ban allowed exceptions if the NIH/NIAID considered such research necessary. In 2014, 2015, 2016,2017, 2018 and 2019. Fauci’s NIAID funded over $3.7M in funding to the Wuhan Institute of Virology through the EcoHealth Alliance. Dr. Shi led that research.
Bill Gates, a vaccine entrepreneur, has a connection with EcoHealth.
In 2017, Fauci predicted Trump would face a surprise pandemic in his first term.
As for the “lab leak” theory, Fauci claims he spoke to his Chinese scientist friends, and he believes them that there was no lab accident. Well, 十二年我住在中国，and my guess is his scientist friends told him what he needed to hear. Just the fact Fauci used a cutout to fund banned research and developed 关系，a relationship with the Chinese scientists tells me he knew what they were doing.
If you listen to Fauci’s words, actually write them down, you can see he is a master of vague statements which are not clear definitive.
Fauci is a weasel-worded bureaucrat at best.
Would that not just be so ironic, that the one person that is supposedly the lead advisor for the whitehouse on this, is actually implicated in the very pandemic that has caused so much death world wide?…..just asking for a friend.
Wow, The Fauci is turning into a character not unlike Mao and Hitler, on a global scale not just regional. On another point, it should be abundantly clear that investing in and trusting in, Chinese institutions like Wuhan Virology Institute is a bad bet. The Chinese communists will steal, use and abuse any science it deems will give it an advantage in this world. If millions die? They don’t care. Shame on The Fauci.
This is absolutely true….
Lord Fauci has blood money on his hands and his smarmy smugness is a direct deceptive cover for what he’s done & knows…
We have labs doing same thing here.