Ahead of “Proximal Origin” Hearing, Select Subcommittee Democrats Release Staff Report Disproving Republicans’ Allegations Against Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins

Washington, D.C. (July 11, 2023)—Today, ahead of a hearing to examine the drafting and publication of the "Proximal Origin" paper, Rep. Raul Ruiz, M.D., Ranking Member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, released a staff report refuting Select Subcommittee Republicans' allegations that former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Dr. Anthony Fauci and former Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dr. Francis Collins orchestrated the "Proximal Origin" paper to suppress the lab leak theory and cover up the origins of the novel coronavirus.

Drawing on more than ten thousand pages of documents and transcribed interview testimony the "Proximal Origin" researchers provided to the Select Subcommittee:

"This report concludes, based on evidence provided to the Select Subcommittee to date, that there was no cover-up of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and no suppression of the lab leak theory on the parts of Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins."

The report's key findings include:

• Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins made no effort to suppress the lab leak theory during the February 1, 2020, conference call on the novel coronavirus's origins and had no role in organizing it.

• Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins did not seek the publication of the "Proximal Origin" paper to suppress the lab leak theory and had no role in leading, overseeing, or influencing the drafting and publication of the paper.

• Select Subcommittee Republicans' allegations that Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins "prompted" the "Proximal Origin" paper to "disprove" the lab leak theory, including by bribing the authors of the paper, are baseless mischaracterizations of the facts.

Select Subcommittee Democrats released the report ahead of the Select Subcommittee hearing, "The Proximal Origin of a Coverup," during which "Proximal Origin" authors Dr. Kristian Andersen and Dr. Robert Garry will testify.

In addition to confirming that Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins had little to no involvement in the "Proximal Origin" paper, documents and testimony provided to the Select Subcommittee reiterated former Wellcome Trust Director Dr. Jeremy Farrar's involvement in the paper.

Last week, Ranking Member Ruiz invited Dr. Farrar to appear before the Select Subcommittee—noting that if Select Subcommittee Republicans are going to use time and taxpayer dollars to pursue political theater over preventing and preparing for future pandemics, then they should follow the facts of their own investigation.

Click here to read Select Subcommittee Democrats' staff report.

Click here to view corresponding documents.

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