Sen. Marshall Sends Letter to Fauci Demanding Copies of Financial Disclosure Following Heated Exchange

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) sent Dr. Anthony Fauci an official letter on Wednesday demanding copies of Fauci’s financial disclosures following a heated exchange at the Senate Health Committee hearing this week.

Marshall pressed Fauci on his disclosures at the Tuesday hearing, to which the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases grew visibly irritated, claimed the records are publicly available, and insisted Marshall was “misinformed.” At the end of the exchange, a hot mic caught Fauci saying, “What a moron. Jesus Christ.” Fauci, who is also chief medical adviser to the president, is reportedly the highest-paid employee in the entire U.S. federal government.

In his letter, Marshall — who is a medical doctor himself — reiterated his request for Fauci to provide his financial disclosures and investments to Congress and the public and acknowledged the hearing exchange. The letter reads in part:

As a member of the committee directly responsible for the oversight of NIAID, I expect a direct, transparent, and honest answer. Instead I was met with a personal insult, deflection, and counter question as to why financial disclosures are important. At a time when multiple federal officials have stepped down due to questionable financial transactions during the pandemic, these questions are both reasonable and relevant.

Marshall noted that, as a U.S. senator “exercising oversight powers,” he is allowed to request disclosures in a public hearing.

“Today, you still have not provided me with a copy of your financial disclosures nor have you made your financial disclosures available to the public,” he continued.

The senator cited several media reports, including one from the New York Post following the hearing, which said a spokesperson for Fauci’s office was unable to produce or immediately point to the financial disclosures Fauci claimed are publicly available.

“Additionally, according to the New York Post, Center for Public Integrity reporter Liz Essley Whyte tweeted a copy of a disclosure form signed by you in April 2020, but that document had extensive redactions,” the letter continues.

Marshall also pointed to a report from Forbes contributor Adam Andrzejewski. In a piece titled “No, Fauci’s Records Aren’t Available Online. Why Won’t NIH Immediately Release Them?” Andrzejewski wrote that the NIH has not provided several documents requested through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), including conflict of interest disclosures, financial disclosures, and royalty payments. Andrzejewski notably leads OpenTheBooks.com, which is suing the NIH for production of those records. According to his report, the NIH  holds approximately 1,200 pages relating to Fauci’s financial information and conflict of interest disclosures, and has agreed to release 300 pages per month starting Feb. 1.

Marshall said several of his own requests for information from Fauci’s office “have required months for a response or are still outstanding.” The senator gave Fauci until 5:00 p.m. on January 14 to provide the requested financial disclosures and additionally told him to resend a less redacted version of disclosed financial documents sent on April 21, 2020.

Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Twitter.