Anthony Fauci breaks his silence with bold statement after being PARDONED by Biden over Trump COVID crimes claims

Dr. Anthony Fauci has broken his silence just hours after he was pardoned by outgoing President Joe Biden in one of his last acts as commander-in-chief.

The former head of the National Institute of Allergy Infectious Diseases spoke with CNN's Dana Bash during the network's coverage of President Donald Trump's inauguration to express his gratitude to Biden.

While Fauci said he is 'very appreciative' of the pardon, he once again insisted he did not commit any crimes while overseeing the United States' response to the COVID pandemic.

'As [Biden] said, we did nothing wrong, but the baseless accusations and threats are real for me and my family,' Fauci told Bash.

Trump's base has blamed the 84-year-old doctor for strict COVID-19 restrictions, including social distancing, mask wearing and harsh vaccine mandates that led to members of the armed forces being forcibly discharged. 

Fauci is also accused of lying to Congress about the U.S. sending money to fund gain-of-function research at the laboratory in Wuhan, China, where the virus is thought to have originated and leaked from.

He testified at a May 2021 Senate hearing that the NIAID had 'not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.' 

But emails showed that in February 2020 Fauci, NIH head Dr. Francis Collins, and Dr. Peter Daszak, head of the company that dispersed grants to the WIV, EcoHealth alliance acknowledged that scientists at Wuhan University were working on gain-of-function experiments to study bat viruses adapting to human infection prior to the outbreak in Wuhan. 

In one email, Fauci even admitted he had concerns that COVID might have been genetically engineered and that these were worsened by the fact that gain-of-function research was taking place in Wuhan before the pandemic.  

Dr Fauci, whose pardon extends all the way back to 2014, has since claimed that he was using a different definition of GOF during his Senate hearing.

Yet the NIH's own definition of gain-of-function notes that the research could be used 'to enhance the pathogenicity or transmissibility of potential pandemic pathogens.'

A meticulous 520-page report by the the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic also concluded that 'Dr. Fauci’s testimony was, at a minimum, misleading.'

If the Department of Justice did decide to pursue criminal charges against Fauci, prosecutors would have had to prove that the doctor made a false statement and knew it was false.

They would have also had to prove that Fauci intended to deceive the Congress members he testified in front of, rather than making an innocent mistake. 

Even so, it is unlikely that Fauci would have served any prison time. He has no prior criminal record and given he is a prominent public health official, his conviction would take politics and public scrutiny into account. 

And while the stated penalty is five years in prison on felony charges, actual sentences depend on myriad factors. A sentence on the lower end would be more likely, in part due to his age.

Almost immediately after Biden signed the pardons, conservatives vowed to haul Fauci in to Congress to answer questions about his response to the pandemic.

'If there was ever any doubt as to who bears responsibility for the COVID pandemic, Biden's pardon of Fauci forever seals the deal,' said Sen. Rand Paul, who previously referred the doctor to the DOJ for prosecution.

'As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee I will not rest until the entire truth of the coverup is exposed,' the Kentucky Republican continued. 'Fauci's pardon will only serve as an accelerant to pierce the veil of deception.'

'Ignominious! Anthony Fauci will go down in history as the first government scientist to be preemptively pardoned for a crime.'

Many X users also accused Fauci of murder as they raged against the pardon.

'Anthony Fauci was pardoned by Joe Biden because he's guilty of murder,' anti-transgender advocate Riley Gaines posted. 'That's it. That's the tweet.'

In another tweet she noted: 'Ask yourself this: Why would Joe Biden pardon Fauci if he wasn't a criminal who should be locked up for his lies, negligence, & greed that killed innocent Americans? Biden was already going out in shame and disgrace, but this is a new low.'

Another pro-MAGA account with 3.4 million followers wrote: 'Biden's pardon of Fauci is his worst one yet. He deserves prison for life.'

'Fauci is the most prolific American serial killer of the 21st Century,' podcaster Eric Matheny wrote on X. 'He's not a hero nor a respected man of science. He funded the creation of COVID, knew about its origins in a lab, and lied to the American people.'

'Of course Biden pardons him,' he concluded.

But Biden defended his decision to issue pardons, not only for Fauci but also for all nine members of the January 6 Committee, before he left office on Monday morning. 

'Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy. Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties,' he said.

'That is why I am exercising my authority under the Constitution to pardon General Mark A. Milley, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the Members of Congress and staff who served on the Select Committee, and the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the Select Committee,' the president announced.

'The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,' he continued.

'Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.'