# Dr. Fauci's Senate testimony **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 12, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-faucis-senate-testimony/853647 "2020-05-12T16:18:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-faucis-senate-testimony/853647/41 "2020-05-13T15:53:28Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The administration’s official policy is that Fauci and everyone else on the Coronovirus Task Force is not allowed to testify without authorization from the White House because it would divert them away from their important work on the crisis. And Trump has stated he will not authorize anyone to testify before the House. > > [White House won’t allow members of coronavirus task force to testify in May](https://www.axios.com/white-house-coronavirus-task-force-congress-testimony-a4c2d870-a5ac-4207-a7bb-d11d08a2ff21.html) > > [Trump says he won’t let Fauci testify because the House is “a bunch of Trump haters”](https://www.axios.com/trump-fauci-house-testimony-818e3146-c9f3-4c97-b9dd-c7c3faf8b4d7.html) > > [Fauci to testify before U.S. Senate, not House, on virus response](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-fauci/fauci-to-testify-before-u-s-senate-not-house-on-virus-response-idUSKBN22H234) > > [White House Blocks Fauci and Coronavirus Task Force From Testifying Before Congress Without Approval](https://time.com/5832001/fauci-testify-congress-coronavirus/) > > [Trump says he doesn’t want Fauci testifying in front of House ‘Trump haters’](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trump-says-he-doesn-t-want-fauci-testifying-front-house-n1200481) > > [White House blocks Fauci from testifying before House panel next week](https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/05/01/congress-fauci-coronavirus/) Ah yes - I forgot that Trump has folks on the Task Force on a short leash. Just like they wouldn’t let Fauci do an interview on “fake news” CNN. Thanks for the reminder. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-faucis-senate-testimony/853647/42 "2020-05-13T17:13:05Z")
Thank you, Moderator. And yes, the response to Sen. Paul was quite well handled. As \*\*dorvann \*\*stated, too common a practice among the Senators and Congressmen, trying to make witnesses squirm, or give them enough rope to hang themselves, or at the very least to rub in their faces where is the real power. But in this case some Republicans can’t seem to get it inside their head that this is the guy that gives his own party’s administration the plausible cover to the effect there are actual professionals handling the technical stuff. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-faucis-senate-testimony/853647/43 "2020-05-13T18:02:59Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Yes, the sources I listen to are not always credible but, sometimes they are. No, once they’re shown to not be credible, that stink sticks to them. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-faucis-senate-testimony/853647/44 "2020-05-13T19:09:35Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > I am hearing that Fauci has connections with the lab in China that may or may not have been the source of the virus. I would like to hear him answer this. But Trump selected his advisory team, right? HE picked Fauci and he can fire him at will, right? So why hasn’t he? What do you mean by connection? I would actually expect a world class virologist to have contact with most of the world class virology labs and I would find it suspect if they didn’t. This would be like discrediting a pilot because he had “connections” with TWA or United and wait for it—they had planes that crashed. Actually, it’s way crazier than that because we have no evidence that the Wuhan lab had an accident and we know that TWA 800 crashed. But the idea of discrediting a professional because of legitimate professional contacts is worse than whack — it’s part of a widespread campaign to disenfranchise expertise in general. Because apparently the best virology expert is the one that never has any contact with any other virologists or institutes that perform virology because that makes them suspect. The best virologist would then be a guy with no expertise or experience in virology at all, it’s the conservative purity test. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-faucis-senate-testimony/853647/45 "2020-05-13T21:41:08Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > What do you mean by connection? I would actually expect a world class virologist to have contact with most of the world class virology labs and I would find it suspect if they didn’t. > > This would be like discrediting a pilot because he had “connections” with TWA or United and wait for it—they had planes that crashed. Actually, it’s way crazier than that because we have no evidence that the Wuhan lab had an accident and we know that TWA 800 crashed. > > But the idea of discrediting a professional because of legitimate professional contacts is worse than whack — it’s part of a widespread campaign to disenfranchise expertise in general. > > Because apparently the best virology expert is the one that never has any contact with any other virologists or institutes that perform virology because that makes them suspect. The best virologist would then be a guy with no expertise or experience in virology at all, it’s the conservative purity test. Well said! ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-faucis-senate-testimony/853647/46 "2020-05-14T03:39:03Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Well said! I agree. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-faucis-senate-testimony/853647/47 "2020-05-14T11:28:26Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > It can be credible about some things and not others. It may be accurate about some things and not others but once a source has lied or provided inaccurate information, everything they say is suspect. Maybe hair-splitting but coming from a profession where credibility means everything, once a liar, always a liar. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-faucis-senate-testimony/853647/48 "2020-05-14T13:21:52Z")
some senior level government employees have a sort of tenure and cannot be easily fired. Dr. Fauci has that protection. Of course Trump doesn’t care about rules or laws so he may try to fire him anyway. He can remove Fauci from advisory boards and committees. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-faucis-senate-testimony/853647/49 "2020-05-14T13:56:56Z")
Y’all realize that by repeatedly quoting the unfounded assertion verbatim you are creating more search hits for it, right? ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-faucis-senate-testimony/853647/50 "2020-05-14T17:57:52Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > Congress wants testimony from a senior executive branch member and subject matter expert related to a major crisis facing the country. It is a crisis that Congress will likely need to continue to intervene in legislatively. I suppose they could just defer all responsibility to the executive branch without any oversight. I generally prefer they at least go through the motions of doing the jobs they were elected to do. I want Congress to have oversight. They haven’t had enough oversight in this administration. But the fact that Fauci is being allowed to testify before the Senate but not the House is in itself a partisan decision made unilaterally by the administration and makes this testimony little more than a dog and pony show in my eyes. Most certainly nothing will come from it. I am not faulting Fauci for this but trump and the senate. No matter what sensible and reasonable testimony Fauci provides, he will be smeared by the right wing. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-faucis-senate-testimony/853647/51 "2020-05-14T19:21:43Z")
> [@Skypist](#): > > No matter what sensible and reasonable testimony Fauci provides, he will be smeared by the right wing. You mean, like with un-cited and utterly specious rumormongering about his sinister “connections” with a Chinese virology lab that conspiracy theorists believe hatched COVID-19? Nah, they’d never stoop that low. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-faucis-senate-testimony/853647.md?page=2)