Rand Paul: Gain of Function ‘Very Dangerous Research’ — What if Next Virus Has ‘15% Mortality or 50% Mortality?’

Monday on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) highlighted the danger of gain of function research after it was revealed that Dr. Anthony Fauci’s division of the National Institutes of Health partially funded cruel experiments on dogs.

Paul warned that gain of function is “very, very dangerous research” and wondered what would happen if future leaked viruses had a “15% or 50% mortality” rate.

“Dr. Fauci still says it wasn’t gain of function because we did not know in advance this was going to happen,” Paul advised. “So, they are doing experiments by combining unknown viruses with viruses that cause pandemics, and they don’t know what they’re going to get, and so Dr. Fauci says, ‘Well, that’s OK. It’s not really gain of function unless gain of function occurs.’ But it’s like, really? We’re going to let them experiment with pandemic-causing viruses and unknown viruses? This is very, very dangerous research.”

He continued, “I’ve been calling for an investigation in two full committees for over six months now. Not one Democrat has allowed one hearing to develop. And this is important because what if the next virus that comes out of a lab has 15% mortality or 50% mortality? Two of the viruses they are experimenting with actually do have that kind of mortality, and the NIH has been funding this kind of research, and it should stop.”

Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent