Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has a strong message for retiring Dr. Anthony Fauci.
He will subpoena Fauci if Republicans take back the House, as is expected, in November and McCarthy becomes Speaker, which is also expected.
There was suspicion among many that Fauci’s retirement, which comes in December, was an effort by him to not have to testify before a Republican Congress.
“So, is he going to comply with the subpoena or are you guys going to have to shackle him and raid his house?” Fox News host Jesse Watters said on Tuesday.
“No, I imagine he will comply,” the representative said. “What will be interesting, Jesse, is how many more in the administration will resign before we come to power in January, the Homeland Security secretary? Or others?”
“I remember being in the situation room when President Trump was in office, Covid had just hit,” he said. “And Dr. Fauci told me nobody should be wearing a mask. It actually could cause you to get Covid because of the humidity created around it. Then he went from wearing a mask to two masks and others.”
It came after Fauci gave an interview on CNN where he said he would testify if asked, but he had conditions.
He appeared on CNN on Tuesday when Kaitlan Collins asked him if the possibility of a Republican investigation “had any role” in his decision to retire.
“None at all Kaitlan, none at all. Not even a slight amount,” he responded. “I have nothing to hide and I can defend everything I’ve done so that doesn’t faze me or bother me.”
He said he had considered retiring at the end of former President Donald Trump’s administration, but when President Joe Biden asked him to be his chief medical adviser he “took it as a great honor” and decided to stay.
He said that he assumed the position would only last around a year but because COVID continued he continued in the job.
He said he believes COVID is manageable enough now for him to retire.
Collins then asked him if Republicans wanted him to testify after he retired “is that something you would do.”
He said he would cooperate with an investigation, but only under one condition.
“I would consider that,” he responded. “But what has happened up to now is more of a character assassination than it is oversight.”
“I’d be happy to cooperate so long as we make it something that is a dignified oversight, which it should be, and not just bringing up ridiculous things and attacking my character. That’s not oversight,” he said.
Fauci announced on Monday that he will be departing his roles as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and as chief medical officer to President Joe Biden at the end of this year.
“I am announcing today that I will be stepping down from the positions of Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, as well as the position of Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden. I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career,” Fauci said.
Biden released a statement praising Fauci, saying he had an “unwavering” commitment to the work and an “unparalleled spirit, energy, and scientific integrity.”
“Because of Dr. Fauci’s many contributions to public health, lives here in the United States and around the world have been saved. As he leaves his position in the U.S. Government, I know the American people and the entire world will continue to benefit from Dr. Fauci’s expertise in whatever he does next,” Biden said.
Biden added, “Whether you’ve met him personally or not, he has touched all Americans’ lives with his work. I extend my deepest thanks for his public service. The United States of America is stronger, more resilient, and healthier because of him.”
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