Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci just finished up his second day of closed-door testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chaired by Ohio Republican Brad Wenstrup. These are the highlights.

🚨DR. FAUCI TESTIMONY TAKEAWAYS🚨@COVIDSelect has completed a two-day, 14-hour transcribed interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Here are the most important highlights from DAY 2 of his testimony👇

— Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (@COVIDSelect) January 10, 2024

BACKGROUND: Too Clever by Half: Fauci Testifies Before Coronavirus Subcommittee, Continues to Play Semantics

• Dr. Fauci claimed that the “6 feet apart” social distancing recommendation promoted by federal health officials was likely not based on any data. He characterized the development of the guidance by stating, “It sort of just appeared.”

Well, no, it didn't "sort of appear." In March 2021, I documented the genesis of the social distancing bullsh** and how no one believed it.

READ: Six-Foot Social Distancing Is on the Way out, but How We Got There in the First Place Is the Real Story

TL:DR version. It was based on a high school science project by the daughter of a scientist at Sandia National Laboratory. Like the rest of the measures used during the COVID panic, the primary purpose was controlling people, not keeping them safe. 

• Dr. Fauci acknowledged that the lab leak hypothesis is not a conspiracy theory. This comes nearly four years after prompting the publication of the now infamous “Proximal Origin” paper that attempted to vilify and disprove the lab leak hypothesis.

This marks a significant walk-back from his previous position and soliciting a paper to disprove the lab leak hypothesis.

READ: 'S--tshow': Scientists Downplayed Lab Leak Theory re: COVID Origins for Fear of China's Reaction if Blamed

• Dr. Fauci admitted that America’s vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic could increase vaccine hesitancy in the future. Previously, Dr. Fauci advocated “that when you make it difficult for people in their lives, they lose their ideological bullshit, and they get vaccinated.”
• When American universities approached Dr. Fauci, he advised them to impose vaccine mandates on their students.
• Dr. Fauci denies allegations that he visited the CIA during the pandemic or influenced the CIA’s investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
• Dr. Fauci played semantics with the definition of a “lab leak” in an attempt to cover up the inaccurate conclusions of “Proximal Origin.” It is impossible for Dr. Fauci to defend the conclusion of this publication while simultaneously acknowledging that a lab leak is possible.

Wenstrup issued a statement that said, in part:

“Dr. Fauci’s transcribed interview revealed systemic failures in our public health system and shed light on serious procedural concerns with our public health authority. It is clear that dissenting opinions were often not considered or suppressed completely. Should a future pandemic arise, America’s response must be guided by scientific facts and conclusive data.

“While we remain frustrated with Dr. Fauci’s inability to recollect COVID-19 information that is important for our investigation, others we have spoken to do recall the facts. I appreciate Dr. Fauci’s willingness to testify privately in front of the Select Subcommittee and look forward to speaking with him further at a public hearing this year. There are many opportunities to do better in the future.”

There is no doubt that the mismanagement and malicious decision-making by Fauci and his kindred spirits have materially damaged public health in the United States and our ability to respond to a future pandemic. Childhood vaccination rates have cratered. People are rejecting the flu, COVID, and the new RSV vaccines (full disclosure: this is my first year without a flu shot in at least three decades). 

Along with the assault on civil liberties perpetrated by NIAID, CDC, and FDA and the federal, state, and local governments who followed their guidance, the credibility of science was damaged. Fauci was intimately involved in the decision to shut down public discussion of the Wuhan lab leak theory, which was always the most logical explanation for the origin of COVID. He and Francis Collins worked to discredit and largely silence the scientists who authored the "Great Barrington Declaration," which, in retrospect, would have done a much better job of mitigating the effects of COVID than the travesty inflicted on us.