Dr. Anthony Fauci is expected to appear before Congress next month after Sen. Rand Paul announced Monday that he had issued a subpoena compelling the longtime public health official to testify publicly before a Senate committee.

Paul revealed in a social media post that Fauci, who previously led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had been formally subpoenaed to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The Kentucky senator said the decision came after Fauci indicated that he would no longer testify voluntarily, despite having earlier agreed to do so.

“Today, I have issued a subpoena requiring him to testify before the Committee, in public, next month,” Paul said in the post.

Fauci became a central figure during the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained a frequent target of criticism from conservatives, including Paul, who has repeatedly challenged his handling of the crisis.

Among Paul’s criticisms is his book, “Deception: The Great Covid Cover-Up,” in which he argues that Fauci played a role in concealing information about the origins of the coronavirus. The book advances the claim that Fauci knew early on that the virus was connected to Wuhan and that research tied to the National Institutes of Health had helped fund related work.

The senator and Fauci have engaged in numerous heated exchanges over the years, particularly regarding the source of the virus and government vaccination policies.

Paul has also accused Fauci of offering conflicting accounts—both publicly and privately—about the origins of COVID-19, allegations that the senator contends amounted to misleading Congress.

{Matzav.com}