This is how Chairman Rand Paul wants to be remembered: obsessed. Has security remove Dr. Fauci's attorney. – Dr. Fauci: "On the advice of counsel. I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment."
I feel so bad for Fauci. He worked his ass off during covid to save people's lives and in response hes gotten death threats, lawsuits, and witch hunts directed against him
Republicans doing everything they can to make it look like they're doing something, to their base, what with the fact they've fucked up everything else and made shit worse for everyone that isn't rich.
I be all of a sudden MAGA will be claiming that invoking the 5th is an admission of guilt. But only when it's not Trump invoking the 5th hundreds of times.
The hypocrisy of the republican party makes me vomit. He talks about decorum but at the same time allowed their sycophants into the room and allowed them to clap and cheer when ever they ended their stupid ass statements. Everyone of those senators are traitors.
This hearing was nothing but vindictive republican assholes getting to trash fauci on TV. Their wet dream. They dont care about what happened. Fauci was the only fucking voice of reason during COVID when the entire government was doing everything to sabotage the CDC because it made dump look bad. The fact that they ARE STILL BRINGING THIS UP is fucking stupid. The republicans kept denying there was a virus for 3 months while it ravage our country and the rest of the world.
Fauci did the most heinous thing possible. He suggested people wear masks. HE WANTED TO DESTROY THE FREEDOM OF PATRIOTS!!!111 /s The right refuses to forgive him for suggesting masks, and vaccines, and right wing media has constantly trashed him since. They'll never forgive him, like Hillary, like Hunter, like all the targets they're told to hate.
Either he pleads the 5th and they pillory him for that, or he answers their stupid questions that are designed to turn him into the enemy and they get him for that.
Not sure he's getting what he wants. Legally this is a wash. Publicly, Republicans are already in their mindless herd, and everyone else knows Paul is an ass-hat and doesn't need further proof.
Yeah exactly. Fox's brain-dead viewers are already sold, so ...what else is Paul going to accomplish: the MAGA base is topped out and isn't growing. #headscratch.
Their stupidity is not a static state. They need to be fed a steady stream of propaganda both to keep them a captive audience for billionaires and to make sure they're mad about the topic du jour. If you leave them alone, they probably keep right on hating liberals, but they'll branch off into other areas of thought that are less useful or even downright antagonistic to billionaires.
He says "intelligence agencies, CIA, FBI, DOE all come to the conclusion that more likely than not the virus came from the lab in Wuhan". He is "lying" through his teeth because actual virologists have come to the conclusion that the COVID virus came from natural mutation, most likely from the animal market in Wuhan.
"Can you provide the evidence that supports that claim? As you know, under USC 18 section 1001 blah blah."
Then the fucker would say something like, "oh it's classified."
"If it's classified you greasy fuck, then I nor you could talk about it in public."
It pisses me off to no end that nobody tells these fucks to put up or shut up. I know it isn't quite that simple, but god damn it looks like they don't even try.
He's not lying, those agencies did in fact come to that conclusion. But as you also state, virologists (i.e. people qualified to speak to the matter) came to a different conclusion.
Thats why I put it in brackets. He knows actual experts all say it's a natural mutation. But that doesnt fit his agenda. So he's quoting non-experts, because that DOES fit his agenda. He fcking knows and he CHOSES to lie by omission.
I mean , even if it was a lab leak, there is no reason to think it was malicious? Why the fuck would they infect their own city?
Very likely it was a natural mutation of a virus, but even if it wasn't, I would place the blame on improper biosecurity before I place the blame on bioterrorism. And after their performance during the fucking pandemic? The Americans have no leg to stand on accusing somebody else of not using their PPE properly
he's not a libertarian, he like to talk like he's one but he always votes with the party. Give a big speach against whatever they are trying to pass, then vote for it. Its just political theater for him
Yes. But valid question about funding in wuhan. Fauci should not be a scapegoat. But talking about this is important. Stop funding this kind of research .... obviously.
Gain of function research means studying how viruses become capable of making people ill. This is exactly the research we need to fund. It is NOT willy-nilly making new viruses.
Trump cancelled that a few months before covid happened. So while stupid as is almost everything he does it would not have changed the trajectory if that is where it originated. I just have not heard any reputable scientists explain why this research is needed at all. Purposefully developing stronger viruses seems dangerous and stupid to me. Especially in china where safety is rarely considered to the level it should be in any industry.
We might get answers to thise questions if this were something other than political theater. But Paul can’t ask a direct simple question without adding in his own skewed, false narrative talking points which are not supported by any facts.
To sum it up VERY briefly: there's been a conspiracy theory since the start of the pandemic that covid was a manufactured bio-weapon/virus/other thing specifically build by some combination of the US Government, the Chinese Government, WHO, etc. In this, they have concluded that Fauci was part of this grand conspiracy on the premise that he refuses to agree with them, make statements that aren't backed by science, changed is opinion as he got more information, and/or slightly inconvienced ...
... them by telling them to voluntarily wear masks. Senator Rand Paul (the chairman in OPs clip), has been at the forefront of these theories, going so far as to demand the arrest and prosecution of Fauci multiple times. The Senator got a hold of some contemporaneous diary entries from Fauci, which stated he and a couple scientists discussed the possiblity of covid making the jump from animals elsewhere before being spread in Wuhan, but dismissed it due to lack of evidence. He used this ...
... as proof of a cover-up and created this hearing as an excuse to yell at Fauci for Youtube/campaign footage and internet points and to maybe catch him up on something they can pin him on. Fauci, who was pardoned by Biden because of Rand Paul (and others) constant legal threats, did probably the only reasonable thing in this scenario and refused to answer any questions whatsoever and plead the 5th
I kinda wish he'd baited them more. In the second clip where Senator Rando asks... It sounds like a dozen questions. I'd have loved for Fauci to ask - "For clarification purposes, can you have the record read back so I can answer each of those questions indiividually?". Waited till each of them was asked, then read back the "I plead the 5th" paper he has in front of him. Just REALLLY stretch their time and patience. Maybe add a "ah, let me check my notes... Ah yes: On the advice of counsel...".
TBC, I know that it wouldn't happen, Fauci doesn't strike me as the sort that would do that (I'm the vindictive type that would do that), and even if he was, the Rando wouldn't allow anything that made him look that bad to run on for long enough.
BumpusMcPhumpusAngeletes
Funny how it’s onky illegal to lie to congress when it’s someone the magats don’t like on the stand.
Grimlinnan
Rand Pual is on the List
ilovetraveler
I feel so bad for Fauci. He worked his ass off during covid to save people's lives and in response hes gotten death threats, lawsuits, and witch hunts directed against him
breakingcode
Resistance1000
It's never hard to understand why Rand Paul's neighbor assaulted him. The only mystery is why it doesn't happen more often.
dontrike
Republicans doing everything they can to make it look like they're doing something, to their base, what with the fact they've fucked up everything else and made shit worse for everyone that isn't rich.
Talyaestfou
He said he wants to see Dr. Fauci in prison. Well I want to see Rand Paul's brother in prison for killing my aunt.
Slugsie
I be all of a sudden MAGA will be claiming that invoking the 5th is an admission of guilt. But only when it's not Trump invoking the 5th hundreds of times.
TheYoungerLance
Oh, they are. Thousands of Facebook comments already.
ItsACrazyWorld
The hypocrisy of the republican party makes me vomit. He talks about decorum but at the same time allowed their sycophants into the room and allowed them to clap and cheer when ever they ended their stupid ass statements. Everyone of those senators are traitors.
SciFiGuy2018
Didn't Trump plead the 5th? So, he should be in jail accordingly to Paul.
HisRoyalMajestyKingV
Jesus fucking Christ what a petulant child Rand Paul sounds like!
PerthAussieMike
Hey, if elTrumpo can do it....
ItsACrazyWorld
This hearing was nothing but vindictive republican assholes getting to trash fauci on TV. Their wet dream. They dont care about what happened. Fauci was the only fucking voice of reason during COVID when the entire government was doing everything to sabotage the CDC because it made dump look bad. The fact that they ARE STILL BRINGING THIS UP is fucking stupid. The republicans kept denying there was a virus for 3 months while it ravage our country and the rest of the world.
aeroldoth
Fauci did the most heinous thing possible. He suggested people wear masks. HE WANTED TO DESTROY THE FREEDOM OF PATRIOTS!!!111 /s The right refuses to forgive him for suggesting masks, and vaccines, and right wing media has constantly trashed him since. They'll never forgive him, like Hillary, like Hunter, like all the targets they're told to hate.
TheSkleebler
He should have told people they would get to do a white supremacy at the same time if they wore masks. It seems to work nowadays.
aeroldoth
No no, it's okay when THEY do it, it's just horrible when it helps others
SecretAgentSuperBooger
SirLantsBojangles
No mention of abolishing the pardon.
OceansRust
That's a hole, Trump doesn't want dug.
mksu
I mean, Rand Paul is getting exactly what he wants. There's no winning move for Fauci, really.
unluckyandbored
Either he pleads the 5th and they pillory him for that, or he answers their stupid questions that are designed to turn him into the enemy and they get him for that.
Nim449
Not sure he's getting what he wants. Legally this is a wash. Publicly, Republicans are already in their mindless herd, and everyone else knows Paul is an ass-hat and doesn't need further proof.
mksu
The GOP only holds congressional hearings for political reasons, primarily for farming clips to be aired on Fox, etc.
Nim449
Yeah exactly. Fox's brain-dead viewers are already sold, so ...what else is Paul going to accomplish: the MAGA base is topped out and isn't growing. #headscratch.
mksu
Their stupidity is not a static state. They need to be fed a steady stream of propaganda both to keep them a captive audience for billionaires and to make sure they're mad about the topic du jour. If you leave them alone, they probably keep right on hating liberals, but they'll branch off into other areas of thought that are less useful or even downright antagonistic to billionaires.
billmontgomery529000
Who’s the glitter kitty behind him?
CaldariBob
The one clearly CHEWING GUM? I hope she brought enough for everyone...
morninggloryshade777
Every REP/MAGA/FASCIST/EVANGELICAL & WHITE CHRISTIAN NATIONALIST CAN BURN IN HELL.
aChungusAmongUs
Good for Fauci. No need to tie the noose for them just because they give the rope
joechristo
Rand Paul? the guy who couldn't get board re-certified, so he started his own Board to certify himself?
GrandmasterSpank
He says "intelligence agencies, CIA, FBI, DOE all come to the conclusion that more likely than not the virus came from the lab in Wuhan". He is "lying" through his teeth because actual virologists have come to the conclusion that the COVID virus came from natural mutation, most likely from the animal market in Wuhan.
relsky
"Can you provide the evidence that supports that claim? As you know, under USC 18 section 1001 blah blah."
Then the fucker would say something like, "oh it's classified."
"If it's classified you greasy fuck, then I nor you could talk about it in public."
It pisses me off to no end that nobody tells these fucks to put up or shut up. I know it isn't quite that simple, but god damn it looks like they don't even try.
Slugsie
He's not lying, those agencies did in fact come to that conclusion. But as you also state, virologists (i.e. people qualified to speak to the matter) came to a different conclusion.
Fuckimgurcunts
So the agencies wanted there to be a link lol.
Spidey209
They were told what to think.
GrandmasterSpank
Thats why I put it in brackets. He knows actual experts all say it's a natural mutation. But that doesnt fit his agenda. So he's quoting non-experts, because that DOES fit his agenda. He fcking knows and he CHOSES to lie by omission.
alyssajones123
I mean , even if it was a lab leak, there is no reason to think it was malicious? Why the fuck would they infect their own city?
Very likely it was a natural mutation of a virus, but even if it wasn't, I would place the blame on improper biosecurity before I place the blame on bioterrorism. And after their performance during the fucking pandemic? The Americans have no leg to stand on accusing somebody else of not using their PPE properly
Micro2112
The only public intelligence report did not have that conclusion. They said well there isnt enough evidence to rule that out entirely
eromitlab
Hey, we're trying to do our jobs of generating content for far-right media! -Randy and the other repub dickweeds
yingjun
Rand Paul is a despicable little bitch. He's been my senator almost 18 years and he's been a sniveling hack the whole time
OceansRust
I just posted a clip you might like, from his 2021 Online Townhall.
ToSisPoS
Thank you again to everyone who saw this coming and decided not to vote against him.
“But can you imagine how black and what a woman Kamala Harris would have been?!”
cuttysark
there was never any love lost between these two
TheVillageGrouch9000
Paul is delusional. Fauci is a national hero.
Sebastopol140
Rand Paul is a piece of shit.
duffman3335
Like father, like son.
SecretAgentSuperBooger
NeverDownvoteMelBrooks
Just a piece?
TheMentallyillist
Good point. He’s a whole pile.
BarryTheCyborg
It's a shame his neighbor didn't cripple him
Chalybos
Maybe next time?
GrandmasterSpank
It's funny how these 'libertarians' like Rand weaponize the government.
lackinglife
Anyone who identifies as a libertarian you can safely assume they are either an idiot or terrible person, or both. They are not to be taken seriously
rollotherottie
he's not a libertarian, he like to talk like he's one but he always votes with the party. Give a big speach against whatever they are trying to pass, then vote for it. Its just political theater for him
GrandmasterSpank
Thats.... how all libertarians are.
rollotherottie
some are true believers, of course I find that most just don't want to pay taxes, but still like roads and such
JohnSmithterms
Yes. But valid question about funding in wuhan. Fauci should not be a scapegoat. But talking about this is important. Stop funding this kind of research .... obviously.
bluestemrocks
Gain of function research means studying how viruses become capable of making people ill. This is exactly the research we need to fund. It is NOT willy-nilly making new viruses.
thegreenestknight6
Or don’t remove the inspector we were funding in Wuhan and throw away the pandemic playbook
JohnSmithterms
Trump cancelled that a few months before covid happened. So while stupid as is almost everything he does it would not have changed the trajectory if that is where it originated. I just have not heard any reputable scientists explain why this research is needed at all. Purposefully developing stronger viruses seems dangerous and stupid to me. Especially in china where safety is rarely considered to the level it should be in any industry.
TheMentallyillist
We might get answers to thise questions if this were something other than political theater. But Paul can’t ask a direct simple question without adding in his own skewed, false narrative talking points which are not supported by any facts.
NothingPrince
As a non American WTF is this?
CaldariBob
Senatorial witch-hunt.
B3N15
To sum it up VERY briefly: there's been a conspiracy theory since the start of the pandemic that covid was a manufactured bio-weapon/virus/other thing specifically build by some combination of the US Government, the Chinese Government, WHO, etc. In this, they have concluded that Fauci was part of this grand conspiracy on the premise that he refuses to agree with them, make statements that aren't backed by science, changed is opinion as he got more information, and/or slightly inconvienced ...
B3N15
... them by telling them to voluntarily wear masks. Senator Rand Paul (the chairman in OPs clip), has been at the forefront of these theories, going so far as to demand the arrest and prosecution of Fauci multiple times. The Senator got a hold of some contemporaneous diary entries from Fauci, which stated he and a couple scientists discussed the possiblity of covid making the jump from animals elsewhere before being spread in Wuhan, but dismissed it due to lack of evidence. He used this ...
B3N15
... as proof of a cover-up and created this hearing as an excuse to yell at Fauci for Youtube/campaign footage and internet points and to maybe catch him up on something they can pin him on. Fauci, who was pardoned by Biden because of Rand Paul (and others) constant legal threats, did probably the only reasonable thing in this scenario and refused to answer any questions whatsoever and plead the 5th
UnattendedDeviant
Good...frustrated the hell of them. Now they know how it feels when Trump's sycophants do it.
NotSomoneElse68
He could really work with this. "To quote Donald Trump, I plea the fifth." "To quote, Pete Hegsteth, ..."
Ohdearthesearemymonkeys
Didn’t Trump take the fifth something like 450 times in a NY case?
UnattendedDeviant
Absolutely, yea.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-deposed-ny-ag-civil-probe-business-practices-rcna42355
psmith00
they won't recognize the simile.
OneMoreLime
They crave obnoxious hypocrisy, they loath equality
Nuclearun
I kinda wish he'd baited them more. In the second clip where Senator Rando asks... It sounds like a dozen questions. I'd have loved for Fauci to ask - "For clarification purposes, can you have the record read back so I can answer each of those questions indiividually?". Waited till each of them was asked, then read back the "I plead the 5th" paper he has in front of him. Just REALLLY stretch their time and patience. Maybe add a "ah, let me check my notes... Ah yes: On the advice of counsel...".
Nuclearun
TBC, I know that it wouldn't happen, Fauci doesn't strike me as the sort that would do that (I'm the vindictive type that would do that), and even if he was, the Rando wouldn't allow anything that made him look that bad to run on for long enough.
boxak
Should have thanked them after every question then plead the fifth. “Thank you for that question senator Rand. On the advice of counsel ….”
Nuclearun
exactly!