documentcloud.org - Statement of david schertler july

"...Through near daily media posts and appearances over the past several years, Chairman Paul has made clear that his objective in summoning Dr. Fauci is, in his own words, “about getting Fauci behind bars.” Chairman Paul’s public crusade against Dr. Fauci began more than five years ago, when, at a Senate HELP Committee hearing on July 20, 2021, Senator Paul asserted that Dr. Fauci was likely responsible for the death of millions of people, that Dr. Fauci did not accept responsibility, and that Dr. Fauci covered it up and was lying. In response to that egregious accusation, Dr. Fauci stated that Senator Paul had no idea what he was talking about, and if anyone was lying it was him.

It appears that Dr. Fauci’s response triggered in Senator Paul an intense and seemingly pathological course of retribution, revenge, and obsession with Dr. Fauci. Just this week, Senator Paul publicly released Dr. Fauci’s unredacted personal diary that discusses many issues completely unrelated to the matters at hand for the purpose of distorting Dr. Fauci’s words and trying to embarrass or intimidate him.

Over the past 5 years, Senator Paul’s obsession has been manifested in an enormous number of false accusations and outrageous statements about Dr. Fauci. These have appeared on numerous social media platforms, in podcasts, in an accusatory book he published with Dr. Fauci’s image on the cover, and in many television and public appearances. In addition, Senator Paul has posted over 600 tweets about Dr. Fauci on his X accounts since the pandemic began, slandering him repeatedly. These posts have escalated dramatically in the past six months: over 300 tweets so far in 2026; over 70 in the month of June; and at least 150 so far in July. Some representative tweets include: December 23, 2024– “The power of some of us must be used for good – like putting Fauci in jail”; December 23, 2025 – “I want to give him a subpoena and a jail cell”; and May 7,2026 – “The American People want Fauci behind bars.” As a foreseeable result of these outlandish statements, Dr. Fauci and his family have been constantly harassed and have received repeated threats of violence and death..."