Elon Musk says prosecute Fauci after top NIH official admits funding gain-of-function research at Wuhan lab

Elon Musk has called for the prosecution of Dr. Anthony Fauci after a top NIH official admitted that taxpayer money had gone to fund gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. 

Musk wrote in response to reports about the admission from NIH principal deputy director Lawrence Tabak, "Prosecute/Fauci." 

During a hearing on Thursday, Tabak said in response to being asked by Congress if the NIH funded the institute for gain-of-function research, “It depends on your definition of gain-of-function research,” Tabak said. “If you’re speaking about the generic term, yes, we did.”  

The questioning of the NIH official came from Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) during the hearing. Tabak added that “this is research, the generic term [gain-of-function], is research that goes on in many, many labs around the country. It is not regulated. And the reason it’s not regulated is it poses no threat or harm to anybody.”  

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures, Fauci repeatedly denied that the NIH, funded by tax dollars, had given money for the gain-of-function research. In one instance during May 2021, Fauci was pressed on this by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). When questioned, Fauci responded, "The NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology." He and Paul got heated in several hearings.  

In another hearing in July 2021, after Paul cited evidence that the NIH did fund gain-of-function research he asked the health official if he would like to retract the statement and asked if he lied before Congress. Fauci said he would not retract his statement, did not lie, and then stated, "Senator Paul you don't know what you are talking about."