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by ALEC SCHEMMEL | The National Desk
WASHINGTON (TND) — Financial disclosures from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci reportedly show his net worth grew by $5 million during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2019 and 2021.
On Wednesday, watchdog group OpenTheBooks obtained Fauci's FY2021 financial disclosures from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
In total, OpenTheBooks has filed four federal lawsuits against the NIH in order to gain access to Fauci's financial records. The group called it a "dogfight" to get access to those records, even though Fauci himself has argued they are "totally accessible" and "are public knowledge, and have been so."
While being questioned by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan, about the alleged lack of transparency around his finances, Fauci was caught on a hot mic calling the GOP senator a "moron."
On Tuesday, I asked if you would provide your financial disclosures and investments to Congress and the public. 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," Marshall wrote to Fauci in a letter following the viral hot mic moment.
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 continued in his letter.
Ultimately, Marshall introduced the Financial Accountability for Uniquely Compensated Individuals (FAUCI) Act, to require publicly accessible financial disclosures for high-ranking federal officials, like Fauci, to be posted on the official Office of Government Ethics (OGE) website.
Among the questions and concerns that have sparked interest in Fauci's financial records is one about royalty payments he may have received from pharmaceutical companies during COVID.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, has been among those trying to obtain a transparent record of Fauci's finances. The two got into a heated exchange over the alleged lack of transparency around the royalty payments multiple times this summer.
Over the period of time from 2010 to 2016, 27,000, royalty payments were paid to 18,000 NIH employees. We know that not because you told us, but because we forced you to tell us through the Freedom of Information Act," Paul said to Fauci during a June Senate hearing.