Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Democrat COVID poster boy Anthony Fauci. The Senate hearing battles were epic. Democrats ridiculed Paul’s credentials; Paul is an ophthalmologist, Fauci is an “emerging and infectious diseases” expert. Paul accused Fauci of lying about funding gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab; Fauci lost his cool and called Paul a liar. In the end, Paul was right — and Fauci was still a liar.

As we reported Wednesday, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) confirmed that Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergens and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), lied to Paul during a hearing on May 11th, 2021. Fauci vehemently insisted that neither the NIH nor the NIAID ever funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Now we know that was a complete crock of crap.

And what I believe to be the best part, Paul knew Fauci was lying, at the time. Fauci knew Paul knew he was lying, and Paul knew Fauci knew Paul knew he was lying. That, gang, is good stuff.

Given the crap Rand Paul took from the Democrats and their sock puppets in the “mainstream” media, the Kentucky senator on Wednesday took a yuuge victory lap. Damn right he did — I would’ve done exactly the same thing, although most likely in front of CNN headquarters or Don Lemon’s house.

“‘I told you so’ doesn’t even begin to cover it here,” Paul tweeted.

“I told you so” doesn’t even begin to cover it here: https://t.co/9JFn85I24i

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) October 21, 2021

The NIH issued a correction admitting EcoHealth Alliance, as reported by Daily Caller, which received a grant from the NIH, did violate the terms and conditions of the grant to fund gain-of-function research:

The NIH described an experiment conducted by EcoHealth Alliance that “was testing if spike proteins from naturally occurring bat coronaviruses circulating in China were capable of binding to the human ACE2 receptor in a mouse model,” the letter reads. “All other aspects of the mice, including the immune system, remain unchanged.”

Board of Governors Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Richard H Ebright tweeted:

NIH corrects untruthful assertions by NIH Director Collins and NIAID Director Fauci that NIH had not funded gain-of-function research in Wuhan.

NIH states that EcoHealth Alliance violated Terms and Conditions of NIH grant AI110964.

Oops, Keebler Elf.

NIH corrects untruthful assertions by NIH Director Collins and NIAID Director Fauci that NIH had not funded gain-of-function research in Wuhan.

NIH states that EcoHealth Alliance violated Terms and Conditions of NIH grant AI110964. pic.twitter.com/cFOtJlRoWl

— Richard H. Ebright (@R_H_Ebright) October 20, 2021

Several mice in the experiment infected with the “SHC014 WIV 1 bat coronavirus became sicker than those infected with the W1V1 bat coronavirus,” the letter dated Oct. 20 continues, noted Daily Caller. “This was an unexpected result of the research, as opposed to something that the researchers set out to do.”

Here’s more:

The letter explains how the NIH reviewed the research prior to giving the funds and determined the research did not involve “enhanced pathogens of pandemic potential” because the bat viruses had not been shown to infect humans and therefore the research was not subject to departmental review.

Still, the NIH said they did include specific terms and conditions that outlined criteria for another review, such as requiring EcoHealth Alliance to report even just “one log increase in growth,” which would trigger a second review.

But EcoHealth Alliance allegedly failed to report their findings as required by the grant, said the letter.

As noted by Daily Caller, The NIH claims the “published genomic data demonstrate that the bat coronaviruses studied under the NIH grant to EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. and sub-award to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) are not and could not have become SARS-CoV-2.”

And there it was. Paul knew it in July when he confronted Fauci:

“Dr. Fauci, as you are aware, it is a crime to lie to Congress,” Paul said during a July congressional hearing.

He continued, as transcribed by Daily Caller:

“Viruses that in nature only infect animals were manipulated in the Wuhan Lab to gain the function of infecting humans. This research fits the definition of the research the NIH said was subject to the pause in 2014 and 2017, a pause in funding on gain-of-function. But the NIH failed to recognize this, defines it away, and it never came under any scrutiny.”

Fauci became unglued and fired back:

“Sen. Paul, you do not know what you are talking about, quite frankly and I want to say that officially. You do not know what you are talking about.”

Ah, but Sen. Paul did know what he was talking about. Exactly what he was talking about.

WATCH: “Senator Paul, You don’t know what you’re talking about… I totally resent the lie you’re propagating.”

Dr. FAUCI lashes out at Rand Paul as he attempts to lay the blame for COVID-19 at his feet for the NIH sending funding to the Wuhan lab. pic.twitter.com/X5HNXIYGYp

— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) July 20, 2021

Paul again accused Fauci of lying “dozens of times” during a September interview on “Hannity” while discussing a report about the NIH’s funding of gain-of-function research, as Daily Caller noted.

On Wednesday, the senator from Kentucky got his sweet “I told you so” revenge.