Former White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing Peter Navarro called on Congress to subpoena Dr. Anthony Fauci during an appearance Thursday morning on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria.” Navarro accused the former federal health official of funding dangerous gain-of-function research tied to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and subsequently driving a public campaign to dismiss the lab-leak theory of COVID-19.
The segment followed the publication of Navarro’s recent op-ed in The Washington Times, titled “St. Fauci and the Sinner Media,” as well as a recent release of COVID-related documents by Tulsi Gabbard. Navarro claimed that Fauci intentionally directed research money to the Wuhan laboratory to alter viruses, stating, “He basically gave money to the Wuhan lab for the express purpose of using gain-of-function research to create a deadly virus for the purpose of then creating vaccines to kill the virus.”
Navarro alleged that when the virus escaped the laboratory, Fauci utilized prominent global academics to shift public attention away from the lab-leak hypothesis toward a natural origin theory.
“The biggest lie of omission was the fact that he funded the virus to begin with,” Navarro told host Maria Bartiromo. He added, “One million Americans died, millions worldwide. He needs to be held accountable.”
During the discussion, Bartiromo noted that federal agencies like the FBI later concluded the virus most likely started in a lab. She also raised questions regarding a late-term pardon reportedly granted to Fauci by President Joe Biden just before President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Bartiromo questioned the timing and mechanism of the action, asking, “Why wait until the 11th hour to actually pardon Fauci? And if it was an autopen, is it even legitimate?”
Navarro responded by criticizing the pardon, declaring it illegitimate and calling the situation “outrageous.” He argued that legal immunity would not shield Fauci from civil litigation, suggesting that affected families could pursue class-action lawsuits for damages suffered during pandemic lockdowns. “I don’t think a pardon would prevent a class-action suit against Fauci personally,” Navarro remarked, describing him as a “Dr. Frankenstein of the modern era.”
The conversation also turned to the actions of the Chinese government during the initial outbreak. Navarro cited regional threats from the Chinese Communist Party, while Bartiromo recalled her own reporting from 2020 regarding supply chain interference. Bartiromo noted that her sources in the hospital industry reported Chinese officials turning around cargo ships filled with personal protective equipment (PPE) to corner the market for gowns, masks, and gloves.
Reflecting on his earliest interactions with Fauci in January 2020 inside the White House Situation Room, Navarro stated that Fauci initially opposed the implementation of a travel ban from China. Navarro characterized the former health official as “arrogant” and “out of his depth,” alleging that Fauci routinely used press briefings to take passive-aggressive shots at President Trump.
Navarro concluded his remarks by estimating that up to five million lives globally could have been saved if federal officials had provided full transparency early in the pandemic, repeating his assertion, “Fauci lied, Americans died.”
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