Infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci will take questions from the COVID-19 Select Committee on Monday, becoming the first non-government official to testify before Congress since retiring in 2022.
Dr Fauci has drawn both praise and criticism for his role in leading the US response to COVID-19 and is expected to face intense scrutiny from Republican lawmakers over the origins of the virus and the transparency of government communications and records.
The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will testify before Congress for the first time in nearly two years.
The Republican-led subcommittee requested access to Dr Fauci's personal email and phone records after receiving information that raised questions about whether he may have tried to conceal any records.
Dr. Fauci will appear voluntarily on Monday and said he has “nothing to hide.”
Brad Wenstrup“America cannot move forward without looking back. We need to know what we did wrong and what we did right,” the subcommittee chairman said at the start of the hearing.
Key Point
The hearing begins
15:16 , Kelly Risman
Dr Fauci will testify before Congress for the first time in two years, and the first time a non-government official has done so.
The hearing began at 10am.
“Why have you allowed your office to remain unaccountable to the American people?” Chairman Brad Wenstrup asked at the start of the meeting.
“Whether intentionally or not, you have become so powerful that any disagreement people have with you is hidden or censored on social media. … This is why so many Americans are outraged, because this is fundamentally un-American,” Rep. Wenstrup said.
