Kennedy Calls for COVID Origins Investigation, Cites Fauci’s Research Role
Health Secretary Proposes Truth Commission to Examine U.S. Involvement in Pandemic Origins
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called for an investigatory commission into U.S. involvement in COVID-19’s origins, citing former White House coronavirus adviser Anthony Fauci’s role in funding research at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology.
In a Monday interview with Tucker Carlson, Kennedy said Fauci, as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, funded research that intelligence agencies have assessed could have sparked the pandemic. “I think that he had a lot of liability on creating coronavirus,” Kennedy said. “He was funding precisely that research, and he was giving them the technology.”
Kennedy referenced gain-of-function research, which involves genetic manipulation to make pathogens more infectious or transmissible. President Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for Fauci on January 19, 2025, covering any offenses from January 1, 2014, through that date related to his roles at NIAID, the White House Coronavirus Task Force, the White House COVID-19 Response Team, or as Chief Medical Advisor to the President.
The Obama administration imposed a gain-of-function moratorium in 2014 following dangerous avian influenza experiments, lifting it in 2017. The Trump administration has expressed intent to restrict gain-of-function research, following the 2014-2017 moratorium.
Kennedy also mentioned NIAID-funded research by University of North Carolina scientist Ralph Baric, who conducted synthetic virology research and maintained connections with Wuhan Institute personnel before the pandemic.
When asked about accountability for dangerous research funding, Kennedy proposed a Truth Commission similar to South Africa’s post-apartheid model. “You have a commission that hears testimony on what exactly happened, and anybody who comes and volunteers to testify truthfully is then given immunity from prosecution,” he explained. Those who refuse or commit perjury could face criminal prosecution.
The Washington Examiner contacted Fauci through Georgetown University School of Medicine, where he serves as distinguished faculty, but received no response.
Regarding mRNA vaccine safety, Kennedy expressed skepticism about available data but emphasized his personal opinion was “irrelevant.” He indicated widespread agency doubts about mRNA technology: “There’s a lot of skepticism in this agency about mRNA vaccines, about mRNA technology, about the status of it now, about whether it’s safe.” Kennedy noted insufficient safety studies but acknowledged anecdotal injury reports requiring investigation.
Source: Tucker Carlson, The Washington Examiner.