More than 155 scientists, physicians and public health advocates have called for an end to what they describe as the “vilification and harassment of many American scientists” by the Trump administration and its allies. The open letter was published one day before Anthony Fauci, the former top US government science adviser, is due to appear at a high-profile congressional hearing after being compelled to testify by a Republican-controlled Senate committee.
The letter accuses the administration and its congressional allies of “waging a war on individual scientists, through public harassment, arrests, criminal indictment and ongoing threats of prosecution”. It argues that the most prominent target is Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Niaid) for 38 years before leaving the federal government in 2022.
Fauci, 85, is set to testify under subpoena before the Senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee as part of its investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. The committee’s chairman, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, has for years claimed that Fauci misled the public and Congress about the source of the outbreak. The letter dismisses the allegations against Fauci as “baseless”, including suggestions that he covered up Covid’s origins, bribed other scientists, or that Niaid-funded research sparked the pandemic.
The signatories note that Fauci has faced a “five-year period of harassment and threats of violence” directed at him and his family. They praise his more than 60 years of public service, including leading the US response to HIV, Covid-19, Ebola, Sars and the 2001 anthrax attacks. “As the congressional hearings targeting Dr Fauci approach, we are urging our elected representatives in Congress stop these witch-hunts and support good public health and scientific practices,” the letter concludes.
Ahead of the hearing, Paul released thousands of pages of Fauci’s diary entries from the pandemic, which show his efforts to manage the crisis and navigate his relationship with former president Donald Trump. Fauci has consistently said research “strongly suggested” the virus emerged naturally, while keeping an “completely open mind” about other theories, including a possible lab leak in China. He received a pre-emptive pardon from Joe Biden, but Paul has still referred him to the Department of Justice for potential criminal prosecution.
