Former President Biden has been out of office for a couple weeks. But he’s not out of the woods.
Because Joe Biden was shocked by this letter of criminal charges that he received.
South Carolina Attorney General Leads Coalition of States to Investigate Potential Violations by Dr. Anthony Fauci
Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), may still face legal scrutiny despite receiving a last-minute preemptive presidential pardon from former President Joe Biden. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has spearheaded a coalition of 17 state attorneys general in requesting information from congressional leaders to determine if Fauci may have violated any state laws that were not covered by his pardon.
In a letter reviewed by reporters, Wilson and his colleagues have addressed Senate and House committees investigating the issue, seeking clarity on whether Fauci’s actions potentially broke state laws. Fauci’s pardon, granted by former President Joe Biden, shields him from prosecution for any federal offenses from January 1, 2014, to the date of the pardon on January 19, 2021. However, the letter stresses that this pardon does not absolve him of any violations under state law or misconduct that may have affected public trust.
“To ensure that former President Biden’s shameful pardon does not frustrate accountability, we urge Congress to consider using all available tools at its disposal,” the letter reads. “Certainly, one potential tool at our disposal is the referral of any pertinent findings to state officials.”
The attorneys general further argue that while the federal pardon may provide immunity for some offenses, it does not shield Fauci from potential breaches of state law, particularly in the areas of oversight and public safety. They insist that any direct evidence or findings suggesting a violation of state laws should prompt further action and investigation at the state level. “Although former President Biden attempted to shield potential bad actors—like Dr. Anthony Fauci—from accountability via preemptive pardons, we are confident that state laws may provide a means to hold all actors accountable for their misconduct,” the letter asserts.
Fauci pardoned for crimes against the United States he may have committed from January 1, 2014.
Incredible to read. pic.twitter.com/KZcHO38cL2
— Coach Man Overseas (@Man_Overseas) February 3, 2025
Fauci’s Role in Gain-of-Function Research and Its Potential Implications
The letter underscores the coalition’s concerns regarding Fauci’s involvement in gain-of-function research, a controversial scientific practice aimed at enhancing the transmissibility or lethality of pathogens. The practice was subject to a moratorium in 2014, but under Fauci’s leadership, NIAID continued to fund certain high-risk research. In particular, it is alleged that Fauci’s agency authorized the exportation of experiments on coronaviruses to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), which was implicated in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic investigation, Fauci’s NIAID granted funding to American collaborators at WIV, circumventing the established moratorium. Furthermore, some of these grants reportedly bypassed required scrutiny from the Enhanced Potential Pandemic Pathogens Committee (P3CO), which oversees such high-risk experiments. This lack of oversight contradicts Fauci’s previous testimony under oath that all research was appropriately scrutinized “up and down the chain” of command.
The pardon granted to Fauci came shortly after the House Subcommittee published its final report on the matter, raising questions about the timing and potential intent behind the pardon. The attorneys general in the letter express concerns that Fauci’s actions could have contributed to the pandemic and point to his long-standing advocacy for gain-of-function research. In a 2012 article, Fauci defended the practice, claiming that the potential benefits of such experiments outweighed the risks.
In addition to the issues surrounding gain-of-function research, the attorneys general have raised alarm over Fauci’s public statements during the pandemic. They argue that his testimony under oath regarding NIAID’s funding of research in Wuhan was misleading, and they highlight his involvement in a scientific paper that dismissed the possibility that the pandemic originated from the Wuhan lab. The letter further critiques Fauci’s recommendations for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, which many believe were based on insufficient evidence at the time.
Despite the presidential pardon, many parties, including state attorneys general, congressional investigators, and incoming NIH director Jay Battacharya, continue to press for a deeper investigation into the lapses in oversight that allowed for risky biological research in Wuhan and its potential role in sparking the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ongoing Congressional Investigations
The letter from Wilson and the coalition of attorneys general arrives amid heightened scrutiny in Congress, particularly in the Republican-controlled Senate. On January 27, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who serves as the Republican Chair of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, announced subpoenas for records from 14 federal agencies in an effort to uncover more information on the origins of COVID-19 and gain-of-function research.
Additionally, on January 29, Representative Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Chair of the Permanent Select Subcommittee on Investigations, issued a subpoena to the Department of Health and Human Services for records related to COVID-19, including approximately 50 pages of Fauci’s emails.
No one elected Anthony Fauci yet that didn't stop him from shutting down the global economy and allowing your loved ones to pass away alone over a virus that he helped fund
— Jessica 🇺🇸 (@RealJessica05) February 5, 2025
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