'Nothing to hide': Fauci reacts to GOP pledge to investigate his handling of the COVID pandemic

Dr. Anthony Fauci recently shared his reaction to Republican lawmakers vowing to launch an investigation into his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Tuesday, August 23, Fauci —director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden— made headlines when he announced his plan to retire from both roles at the end of this year.

As the nation's highest-ranking contagious disease expert, Fauci played a pivotal role in the mitigation efforts to combat COVID-19 and subsequently faced deep scrutiny from Republican lawmakers who strongly disagreed with his leadership.

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In fact, according to HuffPost, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has vowed to "'hold [Fauci] accountable' if Republicans retake power in the House, accusing him of being responsible for closing schools and businesses during the height of COVID."

In a post shared via Twitter on Tuesday, McCarthy tweeted about the party's proposed course of action if they manage to gain control of the House chamber in November.

"Dr. Fauci lost the trust of the American people when his guidance unnecessarily kept schools closed and businesses shut while obscuring questions about his knowledge on the origins of COVID," McCarthy tweeted. "He owes the American people answers. A [HouseGOP] majority will hold him accountable."

However, Fauci is doubling down and defending his leadership and actions taken during the pandemic. During an appearance on CNN’s “New Day,” Fauci addressed the situation and insisted that he is unfazed by the criticism.

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“I have nothing to hide and I can defend everything I’ve done so that doesn’t faze me or bother me,” Fauci said. “My decisions of stepping down go back well over a year.”

Speaking CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Fauci also admitted that he would be open to operating with Republican-led oversight committees. However, he noted that his interactions with those lawmakers have only resulted in “character assassination.”

“I’d be happy to cooperate so long as we make it something that is a dignified oversight, which it should be, and not just bringing up ridiculous things and attacking my character,” he said. “That’s not oversight.”

Fauci also stressed the importance of remaining vigilant as COVID-19 remains a nationwide problem. “We’ve got to do better than what we’ve done," Fauci said, "and hopefully we’ve learned important lessons through this painful two-and-a-half-year experience that we’ve been through."

Watch Fauci's interview or click this link.

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