Testimony From Fauci, Biden Officials Sought In House GOP Covid Probe
The House's new Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic kicked off its investigation by sending letters to Dr. Anthony Fauci and other Biden administration officials seeking their documents and testimony.
AP:
GOP Launches Probe Into COVID Origins With Letter To Fauci
House Republicans kicked off an investigation Monday into the origins of COVID-19 by issuing a series of letters to current and former Biden administration officials for documents and testimony. The Republican chairmen of the House Oversight Committee and the subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic requested information from several people, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, surrounding the hypothesis that the coronavirus leaked accidentally from a Chinese lab. ... The letters to Fauci, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines, Health Secretary Xavier Beccera and others are the latest effort by the new Republican majority to make good on promises made during the 2022 midterms campaign. (Amiri and Merchant, 2/13)
Bloomberg:
House GOP Seeks Fauci, Biden Officials Testimony In Probe Of Covid Origins
The new Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic essentially seeks to bring more emphasis to theories that the spread of Covid-19 originated out of laboratory experiments in Wuhan, China, possibly backed by US money, rather than at a Wuhan market. (House, 2/14)
Axios:
Congress Braces For First GOP-Led Investigation Into COVID Vaccines
In interviews with Axios, Republicans expressed a wide range of views on how they want to approach the investigations into vaccines. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she wants to hold hearings with people who experienced side effects and look at VAERS reports — a public database of unverified reports of post-vaccination health effects often seized on by anti-vaccine groups. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), by contrast, said the goal shouldn’t necessarily be to dent public trust. "We should see if there's any correlation between the vaccination and people dying," she told Axios, "And if there isn't ... we should disprove it." (Solander and Knight, 2/13)
More from Capitol Hill —
The New York Times:
G.O.P. Legislative Agenda Hits Snags Amid Party Divisions
A bill targeting progressive prosecutors whom Republicans have long considered too lenient is facing a wall of opposition from libertarian-leaning members of Congress. Hard-right lawmakers have effectively blocked legislation that would require law enforcement officials running background checks on firearm purchasers to report if a prospective buyer is in the United States illegally. (Edmondson and Karni, 2/13)
Stat:
Sen. Baldwin Criticizes Ascension’s Investments, Requests More Info
Sen. Tammy Baldwin on Monday blasted Ascension for service cuts at hospitals in Wisconsin and questioned whether returns from the Catholic health system’s for-profit investments are actually being used to help patients. (Cohrs, 2/13)
