Sen. Rand Paul visited Palm Beach Atlantic University to promote his new book, “Deception: The Great Covid Coverup,” which attempts to question the origins and management of COVID-19.
Paul became interested in the subject after asking Dr. Anthony Fauci in the Senate if the National Institute of Health (NIH) ever funded gain-of-function research, a process involving the genetic modification of organisms to enhance their biological properties. Dr. Fauci said they did not, which led to Paul asking Dr. Fauci to retract the statement since it is a felony to lie to Congress.
“What intrigued me to go after this story is that virtually everything they were saying in private, they were saying the opposite in public,” Paul said.
Controversy surrounding genetically modified viruses is not a recent development. In 2010, concerns were raised when a Dutch scientist attempted to render the avian flu airborne. People were concerned that publishing his findings would be a road map for terrorists because the avian flu had a 50% mortality rate in humans. At the time, Dr. Fauci argued that the knowledge gained in research would be worth the risk of creating a pandemic. Paul questions if the Americans who died of COVID-19 would find the knowledge worth it.
Paul believes Dr. Fauci knew about the gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab and was able to determine whether the virus originated from animals or manufacturing by the DNA sequence.
In his paper, “Proximal Origins,” which was investigated by the House of Representatives’s Committee on Oversight in 2023, stated the virus must have originated from animals, and anyone believing otherwise was labeled a conspiracy theorist.
Molly Barker, a sophomore at PBA, contends that government transparency is vital for public comprehension of the social consequences of decisions. However, she disagrees with the senator, asserting that the management of COVID-19 did not expose anyone in government as being at fault.
Paul also finds the information concerning vaccines questionable. He maintains that natural immunities are twice as effective as the vaccine, making the push for vaccines suspicious. When he inquired whether vaccine advisory members had financial interests, Fauci claimed this information was private and provided no response. Paul believes all health officials in connection with the government need to reveal if they have royalties to ensure full transparency with the American people.
Hadley Bahr, a freshman at PBA, was surprised by the amount of evidence Paul presented, and she questioned why the mainstream media failed to report any of this during the pandemic. Bahr believes the senator may be overly optimistic in thinking corruption will end if officials are held accountable.
“I believe corruption will always find a way to surface itself,” said Bahr.
Masks were another topic with inconsistent opinions from Fauci. In an email correspondence exposed to the media under the Freedom of Information Act request, he tells Sylvia Burwell, the secretary of Health and Human Services under the Obama administration, that cloth masks are ineffective and only N-95 masks are protective for short periods. He made contradictory statements in public, later claiming that he lied to preserve the N-95 for healthcare professionals.
“These are the most dishonest people I’ve ever seen, and this is your government,” Paul said.
Paul continues to expose these issues because he believes gain-of-function research will only be stopped if its dangers are understood. He is still fighting to get documents about funding for the research. Despite unanimous votes by the Senate and House to declassify the documents, most of the information Paul has received has been redacted. He hopes that, eventually, both political parties will cooperate to provide the American people with the information they deserve.
“Without transparency, people may become skeptical of the government actions, which can be a catalyst for chaos,” Bahr said.
By Sarah Gale