Former CDC Director Robert Redfield asserted on Monday that a newly-unredacted email from Dr. Anthony Fauci indicates an attempt to hide the truth regarding the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The email suggests that gain-of-function research might have played a role in the virus’s emergence, contrary to Fauci’s subsequent public statements.
Redfield, who served alongside Fauci during the Trump administration, believes the email supports his longstanding belief that the virus originated in a laboratory rather than from a wet market or zoonotic source.
In an interview with “The Story,” Redfield expressed disappointment in the lack of a rigorous and transparent scientific debate fostered by Fauci and then-NIH Director Francis Collins about the credible scientific evidence pointing towards a laboratory origin. The email reveals Fauci’s recognition of the abnormality of the furin-cleavage site and the existence of gain-of-function research at the laboratory, told Fox News.
Redfield refrained from using the term “cover-up” in the past to describe Fauci and Collins’ actions but now believes that the email’s content makes it clear that an attempt was made to conceal the fact that the virus could be a result of scientific activities.
Fauci retired from his role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the end of 2022, and his position was filled on an acting basis by immunologist Dr. Hugh Auchincloss. Throughout the COVID pandemic, Fauci faced criticism and disagreements from other medical experts, including Senator Rand Paul and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. Fauci has maintained that his primary responsibility is to the American public and not to any political party.
Contrary to Fauci’s approach, Redfield accused him of lacking transparency and attempting to suppress discussions about the possibility of the virus originating from a laboratory as a result of gain-of-function experiments. This revelation adds to the ongoing debate and investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.