During a new interview with CBS News’ Margaret Brennan, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Chief Medical Advisor to the President, repeatedly defended China for hiding information about COVID-19 during the beginning of the pandemic and for continuing to refuse to cooperate with the United States in investigations into the virus’ origins.
Brennan pointed to a recent op-ed from The Washington Post editorial board which said that China’s “cover-up is immense and still in place” and that China needed to allow a new investigation into the virus’ origins.
“Do you agree with that word cover-up?” Brennan asked. “An intentional distortion?”
“I don’t know what that means,” Fauci responded. “I’m not sure what they’re talking about. I mean, if cover-up is not allowing people to come in and look at all the data, that’s not a cover, that’s not being transparent.”
Fauci also defended China for hiding its primary data from the pandemic by blaming the Trump administration.
“They can say, oh, you know, it’s in frozen food, or it’s in this or it’s in that. But there’s no primary data,” Fauci said. “The [World Health Organization] went in and saw some of the data, which some of which was actually quite helpful. But we- you know what we need, Margaret, we need a transparency and a collaboration to open things up so that we can discuss it in a non-accusatory way.”
“What happens is that if you look at the anti-China approach, that clearly the Trump administration had right from the very beginning, and the accusatory nature, the Chinese are going to flinch back and say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, we’re not going to talk to you about it,’ which is not correct,” Fauci continued. “They should be.”
Brennan then noted that China is still refusing to cooperate with the United States on COVID-19, and Fauci again defended China, saying, “I think that horse is out of the barn, and they’re suspicious of anybody trying to accuse them.”
Anthony Fauci is asked if he agrees with using the words "cover-up" and "intentional distortion" to describe China's role in COVID.
FAUCI: "I don't know what that means, no." pic.twitter.com/NbJnIG1AuC
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 27, 2022
