Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Sunday that his office is aggressively investigating Dr. Anthony Fauci, promising to use every legal avenue available under state law to determine whether any wrongdoing occurred during or after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” Uthmeier discussed the ongoing Florida investigation with host Maria Bartiromo, focusing on Fauci’s tenure as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and his role in shaping the nation’s pandemic response.

When asked whether he believes Fauci may have committed criminal acts, Uthmeier sharply criticized the former public health official, calling his conduct during the pandemic “horrific” and asserting that many Americans suffered because of his decisions.

“People couldn’t be there for the birth of their first child or the loss of a loved one because of him,” Uthmeier said. “And if he is making money on the side while perpetuating this fraud, there could very well be criminal liability … We’re going to look at every aspect of Florida law and do everything in our power to seek truth and accountability.”

Uthmeier also praised Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) for continuing congressional scrutiny of Fauci following last month’s contentious Senate hearing on the federal government’s pandemic response. During that hearing, Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment rights more than 100 times.

“Dr. Fauci clearly doesn’t want to answer questions, but the American people still have a lot of questions,” Uthmeier said, adding that Fauci “did not believe a lot of the mandates and protocols that he was pushing.”

The attorney general further alleged that Fauci privately questioned many of the policies he publicly promoted during the pandemic.

“He doubted safety and efficacy of the so-called medical treatments yet, nevertheless, forced them on the American people,” the Sunshine State’s attorney general continued.

According to Uthmeier, Florida’s investigation is also examining whether Fauci personally profited from the pandemic through outside financial opportunities. He said investigators are “using every tool under Florida law to figure out what kind of self-dealing was going on.”

While acknowledging the legal challenges involved in pursuing claims against government officials, Uthmeier suggested that financial gain outside official government duties could raise serious legal concerns.

“Government officials, they have a lot of immunities under the law,” he said. “We’ve got an uphill battle, but where there’s monetary value increases, and somebody’s going aside from their state job or their government job to do book deals, to seek awards to the tune of millions of dollars, that’s a problem.”

During last month’s nearly three-hour Senate hearing, Fauci declined to answer questions posed by Republican lawmakers, repeatedly invoking his constitutional right against self-incrimination. Last week, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Paul, voted to recommend that Fauci be held in contempt, arguing that his 111 invocations of the Fifth Amendment constituted contempt of Congress.

Paul said he intends to forward the committee’s contempt referral to the Justice Department without delay.

The legal dispute has also sparked disagreement over whether Fauci can continue asserting Fifth Amendment protections after receiving a sweeping presidential pardon from Joe Biden. The pardon covers any federal offenses Fauci may have committed between Jan. 1, 2014, and Jan. 19, 2025.

Committee Democrats rejected the contempt effort, arguing that the pardon does not eliminate Fauci’s constitutional rights. Ranking member Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) told colleagues that a federal pardon “does not eliminate an individual’s Fifth Amendment protection if they still face a ‘real and appreciable’ risk of federal or state prosecution.”

Peters also criticized the committee’s handling of the investigation, saying, “Following a one-sided investigation and a rushed process that has repeatedly excluded the minority and other members of this committee, the chairman is now asking the committee to take a vote that could harm our ability to conduct future investigations and disregards constitutional protections long recognized by the U.S. Senate,” Peters said Thursday.

{Matzav.com}