United States of America

Senators Release Batch of Fauci's COVID Texts

Did officials betray pregnant women by hiding COVID vaccine risks or were they responsibly navigating evolving science in real time?

AUG 11·Updated AUG 12

Senators Release Batch of Fauci's COVID Texts

Story

Above: Sen. Rand Paul in Washington, D.C. on July 29. Image credit: Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images

The Spin

Republican narrative

Fauci privately warned in January 2021 that the second COVID shot could theoretically cause first-trimester miscarriage, then went on TV telling pregnant women to get the vaccine. Sen. Ron Johnson's released texts expose a deliberate gap between what officials knew and what the public was told. Further investigations must be conducted into Fauci's actions.

Red State

Rand Paul on X FOX News

Democratic narrative

The Fauci texts show a scientist flagging a theoretical concern while pregnancy data were still limited — that's how medicine is supposed to work. The messages don't show that a confirmed miscarriage risk was found and hidden; officials were tracking evolving evidence in real time. This crusade, led by Sen. Paul, is little more than a witch hunt against a scientist he considers a political enemy.

Science The Bulwark