Dr. Anthony Fauci subpoenaed by three GOP state AGs for allegedly ‘profiting’ off COVID-19 guidance
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
Three state attorneys general going after Fauci for allegedly cashing in on his own guidance is the kind of story that would have gotten you laughed out of a newsroom in 2021. Now it's a subpoena. That tells you something about how far the ground has shifted, and it should.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former White House COVID-19 czar who became the face of the US response to the pandemic, has been subpoenaed by three state attorneys general who are investigating whether he promulgated health guidance for “personal profit.” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier joined West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey and Louisiana
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
Three state attorneys general going after Fauci for allegedly cashing in on his own guidance is the kind of story that would have gotten you laughed out of a newsroom in 2021. Now it's a subpoena. That tells you something about how far the ground has shifted, and it should. For years the guy who told Americans to mask up, close schools, and take their shots was treated as untouchable, a scientist above the grubby business of politics or money. Turns out people are allowed to ask whether that halo was earned.
The specific allegation matters here. This isn't "we disagree with his science." It's a claim that public health advice and personal financial interest may have overlapped, which is a different animal entirely. If true, it's not a policy dispute, it's a conflict of interest that happened to shape lockdowns, mandates, and the daily lives of millions of people who had no say in any of it. If false, Fauci gets to say so under oath, on the record, which is more due process than most of his skeptics ever got when they raised questions in 2020 and got banned from social media for it.
What's notable is who's doing the asking. Florida, West Virginia, and Louisiana aren't fringe outfits. These are attorneys general using actual legal authority, not cable news shouting matches. That's the right venue for this. Four years of "trust the science" as an unquestionable command deserves an actual accounting, not a retrospective vibe check from pundits.
Fauci's defenders will call this political theater, and maybe some of it is. But the man spent years insisting the public simply needed to defer to his expertise. Now some elected officials with subpoena power are asking him to defer to theirs. Seems fair.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.