Anthony Fauci's 2020 Diaries Reveal Preoccupation with Media Fame During COVID-19 Pandemic
核心洞察
Senator Rand Paul released diary entries showing Dr. Anthony Fauci closely tracked his media coverage and celebrated his "explosive" national fame during the early COVID-19 (搜索) pandemic.
Fauci wrote that he had become "the most famous and talked about person in the country" and described press coverage as "very flattering" alongside notes on rising death tolls.
The diaries detail Fauci's interactions with celebrities including Barbra Streisand and Tyra Banks, as well as an invitation to appear on Dancing with the Stars.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has released personal diary entries from Dr. Anthony Fauci that reveal the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases closely monitored his media coverage and embraced his rising celebrity status during the early months of the COVID-19 (搜索) pandemic in 2020.
The diary entries, published by Paul as part of his ongoing investigation into Fauci, show the then-chief medical advisor to President Donald Trump documenting both favorable and unfavorable press coverage alongside notes on the escalating public health crisis.
"Press is going wild with me," Fauci wrote on March 22, 2020, in an entry that also noted COVID-19 (搜索) cases were continuing to "soar," with 30,000 reported in the United States. He then catalogued his media appearances: "Front page in Washington Post yesterday and Op Ed by Maureen Dowd in NY Times today about me and my relationship with the POTUS. Profile by Peter Nicholas on me in The Atlantic."
Nicholas had characterized Fauci as an "instant icon" in his Atlantic profile.
Fame and Media Scrutiny
Fauci reflected extensively on his public profile. On March 21, 2020, he described a "big front page article" in the Washington Post as "very flattering," adding: "The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable. It is not hyperbole to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable person in the world."
He continued: "Countless profiles on me in multiple media. I cannot even read all the things that are written about me since I am so busy… seriously. POTUS seems to be enamored of me even though I am taking the spotlight away from him. We are developing a very unique and interesting relationship."
By May 21, 2020, Fauci again described his "national and international fame" as "explosive and really unimaginable." In late June of that year, he noted he had been asked to participate on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.
The diaries also reveal Fauci's attention to critical coverage, including complaints about Fox News host Tucker Carlson, whom Fauci wrote had branded him a "hypocritical buffoon."
Celebrity Interactions
Among the entries released by Senator Paul is a passage the Kentucky Republican characterized as "fangirling," in which Fauci recounts explaining Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant to singer and actress Barbra Streisand. Fauci described the exchange as a "great call," during which Streisand asked whether it was safe to receive an mRNA vaccine. "I told her yes," Fauci wrote.
He later described demonstrating the Alexa device by asking it to play Streisand's songs: "When the song came on loud and clear, she started laughing and absolutely loved it!" Fauci also noted he had accidentally "butt called" Streisand later that same day, only to find she had been planning to call him anyway to discuss differences between the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
In another entry, Fauci discussed an Instagram post featuring model Tyra Banks, noting one commenter had said "Tyra was sexy, but that I was even more sexy than she was." Fauci acknowledged that comments on his posts were often "mean and vicious."
Ongoing Investigation and Subpoena
The diary release comes days before Fauci is expected to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, which Paul chairs. Paul stated that Fauci had previously agreed to testify voluntarily but later declined, prompting the committee to issue a subpoena.
"Last week, Anthony Fauci notified us that he will not voluntarily testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, even though he had previously agreed to do so," Paul wrote on X. "Therefore, today we have issued a subpoena for him to publicly testify."
Paul has indicated Fauci would testify in July and has pledged to "review every aspect of Fauci's pardon and continue demanding accountability." Fauci received a "full and unconditional" pardon from former President Joe Biden covering "any offenses against the United States which he may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014" through the date of the pardon.
The subpoena represents the latest development in a long-running conflict between Paul and Fauci. As far back as 2021, Paul accused Fauci in a Senate hearing of providing funding for a Chinese laboratory that intelligence reports have suggested may have been the origin of the COVID-19 (搜索) pandemic. Fauci has denied those accusations.
Earlier this year, CIA agent James Erdman testified before Congress that Fauci "injected himself" into intelligence community discussions about the lab-leak theory, alleging that before Fauci's intervention, the intelligence community was poised to conclude that a Chinese laboratory had been the pandemic's source. Additionally, David Morens, a former top aide to Fauci, was indicted for allegedly concealing and altering evidence, with an email appearing to show Morens stating he had learned "how to make emails disappear" to avoid FOIA requests.