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Rand Paul Confronts CDC Director Nominee About Controversial Email From Francis Collins To Dr. Fauci
Forbes Breaking News
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6/25/2025
At today's Senate Health Committee hearing, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) questioned CDC Director nominee Susan Monarez.
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00:01
Dr. Minares, congratulations on your nomination. Francis Collins infamously
00:08
emailed Anthony Fauci and told him to take down three prominent scientists. The
00:14
implication was use whatever means, use the media, use reporters, but damage
00:18
their reputations. One of these scientists is now the head of NIH, Jay
00:25
Bhattacharya. Do you think that was an appropriate use of his office? So I'm not
00:32
familiar with that particular encounter, but we need to make sure that we are open
00:36
to letting the science... Is it an appropriate use of the office for Francis Collins to have
00:41
emailed the head of NIH and say take down scientists that he disagreed with? We
00:46
need to make sure that we are open... It's sort of a yes or no question. Is it an
00:50
appropriate use of office? Because the question goes to you. Is it an
00:53
appropriate use of the office to email other government scientists and say take
00:58
them down? Take down these people that are disagreeing with us and have a
01:01
different opinion? It is not something I would do. I welcome an open and honest
01:06
debate and scientific discourse. Disappointed that we don't get a little
01:09
better answer from that. You read OSTP 2015 to 2016. Was any of the research
01:16
between Ralph Barak and with the Wuhan Institute of Virology subject to the pause
01:22
on gain of function during your period of time there? I don't know the specific
01:26
details of that, but all all federally funded research that that met the
01:30
standards of gain of function should have been paused under that under that
01:34
gain of function pause. Right, but several were granted exemptions. Are you aware of an
01:38
exemption that was granted to the Wuhan research? I am not aware of that. Do you
01:43
believe that the research that was being done over that period of time and
01:46
subsequently was gain of function research? I haven't had an opportunity to
01:52
look at that research, but I share your concerns about gain of function research.
01:55
There's about ten books written about it. I mean, we've been talking about it. 15
01:59
million people died. You're gonna be in charge of infectious disease. You know, you'd
02:03
think you might have an opinion on, you know, where this came from and what
02:07
happened. And, you know, even EcoHealth, which was funding the research in Wuhan,
02:13
finally sends a letter back to NIH and they say thank you for releasing the pause
02:19
on our gain of function research. With regard to royalties, recently Secretary
02:29
Kennedy fired members of the CDC Vaccine Committee. One of the things we've been
02:35
asking for for years is that they release there and reveal if they get royalties
02:41
from pharma. I think this is a basic good government request. We've passed it
02:45
unanimously in another Senate committee with Republican and Democrat support.
02:49
Previous heads of the CDC and the Biden administration were adamantly opposed to
02:54
revealing or any transparency. Will you support members, all members, in
03:01
decision-making processes revealing their royalties that they get from
03:05
pharmaceutical companies? I believe that anyone who is serving in this type of a
03:10
role that is so critically important to make independent conflict-free decisions
03:15
needs to be fully transparent on any funding that they're getting from any
03:20
product developer. That's all I have.
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