Dr. Fauci Says He Will Testify If Called in Front of GOP-Led Congress: ‘That’s Fine With Me’

Before his impending retirement, Dr. Anthony Fauci says he has no problem testifying before a GOP-led Congress next year, if they decide to investigate his role in the Covid pandemic.

Earlier this year, upon learning of Fauci’s retirement plans, leading Republicans vowed to launch an investigation into the doctor. Even Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Fauci “owes the American people answers.”

“Dr. Fauci lost the trust of the American people when his guidance unnecessarily kept schools closed and businesses shut while obscuring questions about his knowledge on the origins of COVID. He owes the American people answers. A @HouseGOP majority will hold him accountable,” he vowed in an August tweet.

On Sunday’s Face the Nation, the NIAID Director made clear that he has no problem being called to testify.

“There have been all these House Republican calls for investigations into to the origins of Covid and saying they’re gonna bring you up to Capitol Hill. Do you think that wanes as you step down?” host Margaret Brennan asked.

“Well, I don’t think it’s gonna wane for me. The Republican house has said that they’re gonna — and that’s fine with me,” Fauci replied.

“You’ll appear?” Brennan asked for clarification.

“Oh, of course. I mean, I’m very much in favor of legitimate oversight. Absolutely. I mean, I’ve testified before Congress, given the 38 years that I’ve been director, literally hundreds of times in many oversight hearings,” Fauci added.

As the conversation continued, he made clear that he could defend all the decisions he made during the pandemic.

“They’ve clearly politicized it — I’m not political at all, period,” Fauci insisted. “I’ve never been. And anybody who knows anything about me knows that that’s the case. But it is very clear when people are running their campaigns with an anti-Fauci element to it. I mean, that’s ridiculous. I mean, this is a public health issue.”

“I’d be more than happy to explain publicly or otherwise everything that we’ve done, and I could defend and explain everything that we’ve done from a public health standpoint present by,” he concluded.

Fauci has previously stated that he would not participate in an investigation if it was with the intent of “character assassination.”

Listen above via Face the Nation.