Dr. Anthony Fauci Has been summoned to testify before the House of Representatives’ Republican majority for the first time.
Fauci, Democrat President Joe Biden’s former chief medical advisor, is facing a marathon two-day grilling session behind closed doors.
The retired federal health official has been called to discuss the U.S. government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fauci will be interviewed by the House Oversight Committee’s select subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic.
The hearing is taking place across two days on January 8 and 9, the committee announced on Thursday.
Each day is scheduled to last seven hours without accounting for breaks.
Fauci, the former longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), also agreed to testify in a public hearing at a later date, the committee said.
The immunologist was the most public-facing federal health official during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He served under both the Trump and Biden administrations.
Biden ended up elevating Fauci to his top medical adviser.
He left Biden’s position when he left his other role at the end of 2022.
He ended up taking a large share of the blame for the negative impact of public health measures at the time.
Vaccine mandates, lockdowns, masking, and closures of schools and businesses were all pushed by Fauci and have all had long-lasting impacts on society.
Fauci’s endorsement of lockdowns and school closures has also since been blamed for significant learning loss among students across the U.S.
Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) said Fauci’s testimony was critical to his panel’s investigation of the “origin of COVID-19, coercive mandates, gain-of-function type research, scientific censorship, and more.”
“It is time for Dr. Fauci to confront the facts and address the numerous controversies that have arisen during and after the pandemic,” Wenstrup said in a statement.
“Americans deserve trusted public health leaders who prioritize the well-being of our people over any personal or political goals.”
“Thankfully, retirement from public service does not shield one from congressional oversight nor accountability to the American people,” he added.
“During Dr. Fauci’s upcoming testimonies, honesty is non-negotiable.”
Wenstrup and Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) began probing Fauci and the Biden administration in February.
They have been sending letters to Fauci and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines seeking information related to the theory that COVID-19 originated in a lab in Wuhan, China.
Fauci has long denied that the lab played a role in the origins of the virus.
However, Fauci is also accused of running the dangerous gain-of-function experiments that took place there.
