Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) urged Republicans to investigate Dr. Anthony Fauci if they retake control of Congress.
The rallying call from the rising Republican star, who is often regarded as a top-tier 2024 presidential contender if he decides to run, came during a Fox News interview that aired Saturday evening.
“If the Republicans take control, we need a reckoning on all of this,” he said to Unfiltered host Dan Bongino.
<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1661780749758,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000162-1a81-d968-a5ef-9aad33d20000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1661780749758,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000162-1a81-d968-a5ef-9aad33d20000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"","_id":"00000182-e9d9-d02d-adbf-fbfbe3df0000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedFlorida emerged as a leading example of resistance to hard-line measures during the height of the pandemic, during which DeSantis said Fauci “criticized me every step of the way.” Harping on the push to shut down in-person learning in schools, the governor said Fauci “tried to sow fear in the population and scared a lot of parents,” but people began to reject what the health official was saying, as he was “wrong on all the important issues.”
Last week, Fauci announced he will be stepping down by December from his positions as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, chief of the NIAID’s Laboratory of Immunoregulation, and chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden. However, Republicans including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) have said that won’t stop them from investigating Fauci on a number of fronts, including the origins of COVID-19. Winning control of one or both chambers of Congress will give Republicans more tools in such endeavors, including subpoena power.
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DeSantis is running for reelection as governor in 2022 but is widely considered a leader in the GOP, and polls show him as competitive if he decides to campaign for president.
The Florida governor’s comments about Fauci came after Bongino played a clip of him denying that COVID-19 lockdowns caused irreparable damage to anyone. DeSantis predicted Fauci and other health officials will say in the future that lockdown measures were not as successful as officials had hoped because they did not go far enough.
“We can never go down that road,” DeSantis said.
