Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky dropped some fascinating messages from Dr. Anthony Fauci and his very political approach to "the science" of Covid, not to mention the chummy collusion between Fauci and the press. After Paul's hearing, the networks and the News Apps painted Fauci as a victim of unhinged Republicans waging a war on science.
NewsBusters Associate Editor Nicholas Fondcaro and Free Speech America Luis Cornelio joined the show discuss the media’s unwillingness to walk back its hardened narratives. The release of these Fauci diary entries surely begs for a revision.
For example: In March of 2020, Fauci testified about the death rate from Covid: "somewhere around one percent, which means it is 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu," but a month before, he wrote privately it was more like 0.2-0.3 percent. In private, he suggested Covid originating in the wet market didn't sound right, but in public he fiercely denounced what became the most plausible origin story: It leaked out of a lab in Wuhan.
His diary is adorned with screenshots of headlines that mentioned him, including a New York Times story from March 2020 titled, "Not His First Pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci Sticks to the Facts." He didn't. He fudged the facts in a political manner.
The media cooperation was exposed. In July 2020, Dr. Fauci gushed that he was forming a friendship with CNN’s Jake Tapper. "Had dinner over Jake Tapper and Jen Tapper’s home in DC. Terrific couple. Friendship building," Fauci wrote. Later that month, Fauci wrote that he "gave Jake some questions to ask" pediatrician Brett Giroir during a hostile interview on CNN’s "State of the Union."
Then on October 23, 2020 there was more: "Had dinner at my home with Jake and Jennifer Tapper. Relaxed, good time. Jake clearly believes that Trump is totally nuts.” These dinners came at a time that this kind of socializing was strongly discouraged.
Some people tweeted that Tapper should be shamed out of CNN for this conduct. But Tapper would find that bizarre. This is standard behavior in Washington, where journalists and government officials dine together and plot together and concoct the "news" together. Collusion can be a good thing when granting an advantage to "the right side of history."
After the hearing, Fauci was painted as a victim of mean-spirited Republicans. ABC's George Stephanopoulos mourned it was “a sign of the times” that the Fauci hearing was “about as partisan as it gets.” That's rich, coming from him.
Enjoy the podcast below.
