Florida has formally subpoenaed Dr. Anthony Fauci as part of the state’s expanding investigation into his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Attorney General James Uthmeier saying the probe is focusing heavily on allegations that Fauci personally benefited while serving in government.

The investigation began last week after Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. On Wednesday, Uthmeier announced that his office had taken the next step by issuing a subpoena under Florida law.

“Just about an hour or two ago, we issued a formal subpoena to Dr. Fauci, under Florida state law, seeking a breadth of documents ranging to what he knew, when he knew it, his doubts about the safety and efficacy of vaccines that he’s out there promoting, and we’re really focused in on his self-dealing,” Uthmeier said during an interview with Fox News host John Roberts.

Uthmeier alleged that evidence gathered by his office indicates Fauci sought to profit personally from the pandemic while serving as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

“This is outside of his government duties, his official role. He’s trying to pursue book deals, awards, get connected with high rollers that you know might help him come into millions and millions of dollars. This is wrong, and it could go towards a deceptive trade practice, fraud, public nuisance – you name it,” the attorney general said, adding that Fauci’s personal diary documents his growing public profile and interest in the recognition he received during the pandemic.

Uthmeier also claimed investigators have obtained communications showing Fauci sought assistance from subordinates in pursuing awards and other opportunities that generated personal income.

“We’ve got communications, emails with subordinates where he’s asking them to help work on applications for these awards. We know one award in particular. he made 900,000 on that. Again, this is separate and independent from his government salary. So here, you know, government officials they have a lot of immunities. They have protections when they’re doing their job, but when somebody like Dr. Fauci is lying and deceiving the American people, pushing out directives and mandates that he privately questions as unsafe, and he’s deriving a profit from it, that raises larger legal questions,” Uthmeier said, emphasizing that his office intends to pursue the investigation fully.

The attorney general said Florida is committed to determining whether Fauci’s actions were motivated by financial gain rather than public health.

“A lot of people were hurt and suffered, but we respect procedure, rule of law. We will get to the bottom of it. We will leave no stone unturned, and we want to find out at the end of the day, you know, was he pursuing profit, or was he trying to protect the people of Florida? And his diary, it screams of fame and fortune,” he said, adding that Fauci had been “doubting the risks of myocarditis” while publicly criticizing Florida’s pandemic policies.

“So much so that he traveled down. He did news hits, radio hits. He went down with Jill Biden. All the while, we now know privately he has a lot of doubts about safety [of the vaccine],” Uthmeier pointed out.

Fox News host John Roberts responded by sharing his own experience, saying, “Well, I can tell you, as somebody who nearly died from the booster, I had a lot of doubts about the safety of the vaccine as well.”

The subpoena comes just days after Fauci declined to answer numerous questions before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In response, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced a resolution to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress, with the Senate expected to vote on the measure Thursday morning.

{Matzav.com}