The personal diaries of former US Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, covering the years 2019-2022, were published by Republican Senator Rand Paul. The release came one day before Fauci was to testify before the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
According to reports by The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, the diaries shed light on the debates and behind-the-scenes tensions in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. The documents document the correspondence on the origin of the virus and scientific disagreements.
Lab leak debate
According to The New York Times, in a note dated January 26, 2020, Fauci wrote that the animal market in Wuhan was not the original source of the virus, but only accelerated its spread. However, on January 31, several scientists conveyed to him concerns that some features of the virus may have originated in a lab.
Following these warnings, Fauci organized a meeting with 11 experts. At the meeting, only two scientists said they were absolutely certain the virus emerged naturally, while other participants argued the issue needed further investigation.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Fauci initially described the laboratory leak hypothesis as a 'conspiracy theory,' but later acknowledged there was 'no definitive proof.' In May 2021, Fauci jotted in his diary, 'Nobody, including me, is 100% sure about the origin of the virus; I'm calling for a thorough investigation.'
Clashes with Trump
The diaries also detail how the relationship between Fauci and then-President Donald Trump deteriorated over the course of the pandemic. According to The Washington Post, in February 2020, Fauci warned Trump not to downplay the severity of the outbreak, saying that this attitude could later be perceived as an attempted cover-up.
Fauci also criticized Trump for attributing rising case numbers to increased testing capacity. He wrote in his diary, 'An increase in the number of tests does not increase the number of cases, it only reveals existing cases.' The two also clashed over the use of the drug hydroxychloroquine and mandatory mask-wearing.
However, the diaries also capture moments early on when Trump praised Fauci as 'one of the smartest people' and once said 'I love you, Tony.' Over time, Trump grew irritated that Fauci's media presence overshadowed him and sidelined his advisor.
International fame and criticism
Fauci also frequently mentioned in his diaries the international fame he gained during the pandemic. In March 2020, he wrote that he received calls from all over the world and that the news and articles about him were 'too numerous to count and almost absurd.'
Fauci noted that figures such as actress Julia Roberts, singer Joan Baez, and basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reached out to him, and that a doughnut chain launched a doughnut named after him and T-shirts were sold.
Republican Senator Rand Paul criticized these passages, arguing that Fauci was preoccupied with his own image while the country was experiencing its worst health crisis.
Debate continues
The diaries do not end the chronic debate over whether the virus was a lab leak. However, they clearly document the scientific and political divisions that occurred behind the scenes in the early days of the crisis.
The release of the documents came after former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard disclosed in June classified documents accusing Fauci of 'funding dangerous genetic research' at the Wuhan laboratory.
Fauci, for his part, declined to comment on the contents of the diaries before the Senate hearing.
