Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced Monday that he’s reissuing his criminal referral against Dr. Anthony Fauci, reigniting a long-standing feud and adding fuel to the growing controversy over President Biden’s alleged use of an autopen for official documents.
“Today I will reissue my criminal referral of Anthony Fauci to Trump DOJ,” Paul wrote on X.
This marks at least the third time Paul has issued a referral against Fauci, the former NIAID director and top medical adviser to President Biden. The senator first accused Fauci in 2021 of lying to Congress about funding gain-of-function research at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology—a claim Fauci has repeatedly denied. A second referral followed in 2023 as Paul continued to investigate COVID-19’s origins.
“Perjury is a crime,” Paul said. “And Fauci must be held accountable.”
Paul’s renewed push comes on the heels of fresh reporting tied to the so-called autopen saga. According to The New York Times, internal emails reveal that Biden’s Chief of Staff, Jeff Zients, approved the use of an autopen for signing preemptive pardons—reportedly including ones for Fauci and former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, both frequent critics of Donald Trump.
The report has further intensified Republican scrutiny of Biden’s presidency. With over 4,000 clemency documents reportedly signed in his final months in office, critics like Trump argue it’s a sign the president delegated his constitutional responsibilities due to cognitive decline.
“This could be one of the biggest scandals in 50 to 100 years,” Trump told reporters Monday. “I guarantee you he knew nothing about what he was signing.”
Trump has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to launch a formal investigation into Biden’s use of the autopen, while Senate and House Republicans continue their own committee hearings on the matter.
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