Fauci's Diaries Spark Senate Showdown With Rand Paul Over COVID

WHO:

CNN - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated he handed over Fauci's diary files to Paul and Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson after finding them on government servers following an eight-month search.

CBS News - David Morens, an adviser to Fauci, has been indicted on federal charges.

CBS News - Peter Staley, an AIDS activist and longtime friend of Fauci, commented on the toll of Paul's focus on discrediting Fauci, saying, "Nobody would want this. But I’ve known him for a very long time and we both use the phrase ‘Brooklyn strong’ quite a bit."

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated he handed over Fauci's diary files to Paul and Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson after finding them on government servers following an eight-month search.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - David Morens is an adviser to Fauci who has been indicted on federal charges.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - Sen. Rand Paul is the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee and has accused Fauci of misleading the public about the origins of the virus.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated he found Fauci's diary files on government servers after an eight-month search.

CNN - Dr. Anthony Fauci is 85 years old and was the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly four decades.

CBS News - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated he found Fauci's diary files on government servers after an eight-month search.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - Sen. Rand Paul is the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. handed over Fauci's diary files to Paul and Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson.

CNN - Dr. Anthony Fauci, 85, is the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

CNN - Sen. Rand Paul is the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

CBS News - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the Health and Human Services Secretary.

CBS News - Peter Staley is an AIDS activist and longtime friend of Fauci.

CBS News - David Morens is an adviser to Fauci who has been indicted on federal charges.

WHAT:

CBS News - The diary entries released by Sen. Paul document Fauci's interactions with celebrities and media, including a Zoom call arranged by Kim Kardashian with nearly three dozen celebrities.

CBS News - More than 1,100 pages of Fauci's diary entries from 2019 to 2022 have been released by Sen. Paul.

CBS News - Fauci's diary entries document his media appearances, interactions with celebrities, and concerns about COVID-19.

CNN - The hearing is expected to be combative, with Fauci's diary entries revealing his growing concerns about COVID-19 and frustrations with the government response.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - The diary entries released by Sen. Paul document Fauci's interactions with celebrities and media, including a Zoom call arranged by Kim Kardashian with nearly three dozen celebrities.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - More than 1,100 pages of Fauci's diary entries from 2019 to 2022 have been released by Sen. Paul.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - Fauci's diary entries document his media appearances, interactions with celebrities, and concerns about COVID-19.

CNN - The hearing is expected to be combative, with Fauci's diary entries revealing his growing concerns about COVID-19 and frustrations with the government response.

CBS News - The diary entries released by Sen. Paul document Fauci's interactions with celebrities and media, including a Zoom call arranged by Kim Kardashian with nearly three dozen celebrities.

CBS News - Paul has accused Fauci of saying one thing in his diary while publicly stating the virus's origins were implausible from a lab leak.

CNN - The hearing is expected to be combative, with Fauci's diary entries revealing his growing concerns about COVID-19 and frustrations with the government response.

CBS News - The diary entries released by Sen. Paul document Fauci's interactions with celebrities and media, including a Zoom call arranged by Kim Kardashian with nearly three dozen celebrities.

Fox News - Fauci wrote in his diary, "The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable," on May 21, 2020.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - The diary entries also narrate Fauci’s growing concerns about COVID-19, frustrations with the government response, and conflicting relationships with both Trump and Biden administration officials.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - Paul has accused Fauci of saying one thing in his diary while publicly stating the virus's origins were implausible from a lab leak.

CNN - Fauci has testified before Congress approximately 250 times throughout his career.

CBS News - The diary entries released by Sen. Paul document Fauci's interactions with celebrities and media, including a Zoom call arranged by Kim Kardashian with nearly three dozen celebrities.

CBS News - In an entry dated February 27, 2020, Fauci wrote about a phone call with Trump regarding the coronavirus situation, noting, "Big surprise was at 10:35 PM tonight I got a phone call at home from President Trump who wanted to chat about the coronavirus situation in general."

CBS News - Fauci wrote on July 28, 2020, that Trump was "playing a weird game of acting Okay with me in person" while retweeting attacks against him.

CBS News - In a May 2020 entry, Fauci noted Trump was "desperate" to open the country before election day, stating, "Trump getting out of control in pushing to open up the country and get the economy back before election day."

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - More than 1,100 pages of Fauci's diary entries from 2019 to 2022 have been released by Sen. Paul.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CNN - Fauci's diary entries document his interactions with celebrities and members of the news media, including some CNN journalists.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CNN - Fauci noted in his diary that he was becoming an "international celebrity" and mentioned a Zoom call arranged by Kim Kardashian with nearly three dozen celebrities.

CNN - Fauci's diary entries document his growing concerns about COVID-19, frustrations with the government response, and conflicting relationships with both Trump and Biden administration officials.

CBS News - The diary entries date from December 2019 until December 2022, when Fauci stepped down as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

CBS News - In an entry dated May 26, 2021, Fauci wrote, "The situation continues to get 'out of control' with regard to the press reports concerning my 'flip flopping' concerning the theory of the origin of the virus."

KOMO - Fauci wrote on January 26, 2020, "It now appears that the first infection was in early December and was not connected to the market."

KOMO - Fauci noted in his diary that he was becoming an "international celebrity" and mentioned a Zoom call arranged by Kim Kardashian with nearly three dozen celebrities.

CBS News - Fauci described Trump as acting "erratically" by August 2020 and referred to him as an "idiot" for posting inaccurate figures on COVID-19 deaths.

CBS News - Fauci wrote on October 12, 2021, that Paul "continues his assault on me."

CNN - Fauci is set to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

CBS News - More than 1,100 pages of Fauci's diary entries from 2019 to 2022 have been released by Sen. Paul.

CBS News - Fauci's diary entries document his media appearances, interactions with celebrities, and concerns about COVID-19.

KOMO - Fauci wrote in his diary that the first infection was in early December and was not connected to the market.

KOMO - Fauci stated, "Now we know the market was not the source, it was the amplifier."

WHERE:

CNN - The hearing will take place on Capitol Hill.

CBS News - The Wuhan Institute of Virology in China is mentioned as a potential source of the virus.

WHEN:

CBS News - The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

CNN - The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

CNN - The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

CBS News - Fauci's diary entries span from December 2019 to December 2022.

CBS News - An entry dated May 26, 2021, reflects Fauci's thoughts on the press coverage of his statements.

KOMO - An entry dated January 26, 2020, discusses the early days of the pandemic.

WHY:

CBS News - Paul has accused Fauci of misleading the public about the origins of the virus based on the newly released diary entries.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - Paul has accused Fauci of misleading the public about the origins of the virus based on the newly released diary entries.

CNN - Paul has accused Fauci of misleading the public about the origins of the virus, claiming Fauci's diary entries contradict his public statements.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - Paul has long sought to blame the COVID pandemic and shortcomings of the U.S. response on Fauci.

CBS News - Sen. Paul has accused Fauci of misleading the public about the origins of the virus, claiming Fauci's diary entries contradict his public statements.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - Paul has accused Fauci of misleading the public about the origins of the virus based on the newly released diary entries.

CNN - Sen. Paul has long sought to blame the COVID pandemic and the shortcomings of the U.S. response on Fauci.

CBS News - Paul accuses Fauci of misleading the public about the origins of the virus.

HOW:

CBS News - Internal correspondence shows that Fauci initially declined to appear voluntarily before the committee, citing past clashes with Paul and the senator’s efforts to indict him.

[10:49 PM EDT] - CBS News - Internal correspondence shows that Fauci initially declined to appear voluntarily before the committee, citing past clashes with Paul and the senator’s efforts to indict him.

CBS News - Internal correspondence shows that Fauci initially declined to appear voluntarily before the committee, citing past clashes with Paul and the senator’s efforts to indict him.

CBS News - Fauci's lawyers wrote to Paul, stating, "Your request that Dr. Fauci appear before the Committee arises within a context that cannot be ignored — the context of repeated public and absolutely baseless pronouncements by you, a sitting United States Senator, that Dr. Fauci should be prosecuted and jailed."

[10:49 PM EDT] - CNN - Internal correspondence shows that Fauci initially declined to appear voluntarily before the committee, citing past clashes with Paul and the senator’s efforts to indict him.

CNN - Internal correspondence shows that Fauci initially declined to appear voluntarily before the committee, citing past clashes with Paul and the senator’s efforts to indict him.

CNN - Paul subpoenaed Fauci for his appearance before the committee.

CBS News - Fauci's diary entries reflect his interactions with Trump and other officials, detailing their discussions about the COVID-19 response.

(UPDATED July 29, 2026 14:41 UTC)

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has handed over diary files belonging to Fauci to Senator Rand Paul and Wisconsin GOP Senator Ron Johnson after discovering them on government servers during an eight-month search. In related news, David Morens, an adviser to Fauci, has been indicted on federal charges, while Peter Staley, an AIDS activist and longtime friend of Fauci, expressed concern over Paul's focus on discrediting Fauci, stating, "Nobody would want this." The hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, is expected to be combative, as the newly released diary entries document Fauci's media interactions, concerns about COVID-19, and frustrations with the government's response, amid accusations from Paul that Fauci misled the public about the virus's origins.

(UPDATED July 29, 2026 13:30 UTC)

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has revealed that he handed over Dr. Anthony Fauci's diary files to Senator Rand Paul and Wisconsin GOP Senator Ron Johnson after discovering them on government servers during an eight-month search. The released diary entries, which span over 1,100 pages from 2019 to 2022, detail Fauci's media appearances, interactions with celebrities—including a Zoom call arranged by Kim Kardashian—and his concerns about COVID-19. A hearing is set for Wednesday, where Senator Paul plans to address accusations that Fauci misled the public regarding the origins of the virus, despite Fauci's initial reluctance to appear before the committee due to past conflicts with Paul.

(UPDATED July 29, 2026 12:35 UTC)

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has revealed that he handed over Anthony Fauci's diary files to Senator Rand Paul and Wisconsin GOP Senator Ron Johnson after discovering them on government servers following an extensive search. The upcoming hearing is expected to be contentious, with Fauci's diary entries highlighting his concerns about COVID-19 and frustrations with the government's response, while Paul has accused Fauci of contradicting himself regarding the virus's origins. Internal correspondence indicates that Fauci initially declined to appear voluntarily before the committee due to previous conflicts with Paul and the senator's attempts to indict him.

(UPDATED July 29, 2026 11:41 UTC)

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that he has handed over diary files belonging to Fauci to Senator Rand Paul and Wisconsin GOP Senator Ron Johnson after an extensive eight-month search. The upcoming hearing is expected to be contentious, with Fauci's diary revealing his concerns about COVID-19 and interactions with celebrities, including a Zoom call organized by Kim Kardashian. Paul has accused Fauci of misleading the public regarding the virus's origins, and internal correspondence indicates that Fauci initially declined to appear voluntarily before the committee due to previous conflicts with Paul.

(UPDATED July 29, 2026 10:51 UTC)

Senator Rand Paul, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, has accused Fauci of misleading the public about the origins of the virus, while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed he found Fauci's diary files on government servers after an extensive search. The released diary entries detail Fauci's interactions with celebrities, including a Zoom call organized by Kim Kardashian, as well as his concerns about COVID-19 and frustrations with the government's response, which Paul claims contradict Fauci's public statements regarding the virus's origins. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, but internal correspondence indicates that Fauci initially declined to appear voluntarily due to previous conflicts with Paul and the senator's attempts to indict him.

(UPDATED July 29, 2026 06:50 UTC)

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is 85 years old and led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly four decades, has had his diary files uncovered by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after an extensive eight-month search. The released entries, which include details of Fauci's interactions with celebrities and a notable phone call with Trump regarding the coronavirus, have sparked controversy, as Senator Paul claims they contradict Fauci's public statements about the virus's origins. In response to Paul's accusations, Fauci's lawyers emphasized the context of his request for Fauci to appear before the Committee, highlighting the senator's previous calls for Fauci to be prosecuted.

(UPDATED July 29, 2026 02:51 UTC)

Senator Rand Paul, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, has released over 1,100 pages of diary entries from Dr. Anthony Fauci, covering the years 2019 to 2022. These entries reveal Fauci's interactions with celebrities and media figures, including a Zoom call organized by Kim Kardashian, and document his rise as an "international celebrity." A hearing is set for Wednesday, where Paul plans to confront Fauci, who has previously declined to appear voluntarily before the committee due to past conflicts with the senator.

(UPDATED July 28, 2026 15:51 UTC)

Newly released diary entries from Dr. Anthony Fauci reveal his escalating concerns about COVID-19 and frustrations with the government's response, as well as his complicated relationships with both Trump and Biden administration officials. The entries, spanning from December 2019 to December 2022, include Fauci's reflections on becoming an "international celebrity" and his criticisms of Trump, whom he described as acting "erratically" and referred to as an "idiot" for sharing incorrect COVID-19 death figures. Additionally, Fauci noted his reluctance to appear before a committee due to past conflicts with Senator Rand Paul, who he stated "continues his assault on me."

(UPDATED July 28, 2026 14:48 UTC)

Dr. Anthony Fauci is set to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Wednesday, following the release of over 1,100 pages of his diary entries that document his experiences and concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Senator Rand Paul, who has long sought to hold Fauci accountable for the U.S. response to the pandemic, has subpoenaed him to appear, accusing him of misleading the public about the virus's origins. Fauci's entries, which span from December 2019 to December 2022, include reflections on his media appearances and interactions with officials, including Trump, as well as his assertion that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was not the source of the virus but rather an amplifier of its spread.