Editorials: Fauci's Day on Capitol Hill Was a 'Shame'

Both the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal have weighed in on Anthony Fauci's I'm-taking-the-Fifth testimony on Capitol Hill Wednesday, and both use the word "shame," suggesting that Fauci and Sen. Rand Paul came off poorly. As a result, so did the American public. In short, it all amounted to political theater with little accountability. Details:

• It's "a real shame that the country cannot have an honest conversation, with the benefit of hindsight, about the many mistakes that were made six years ago," writes the Post editorial board. Fauci, for example, "resisted issuing guidance to reopen schools for far too long, upending education for millions of kids. He was too slow to accept scientific evidence that the coronavirus spread via airborne droplets, blunting protective strategies." And his newly released diaries show him to be "self-absorbed." But "while it's fair to criticize Fauci, it's quite another to try to concoct new ways to prosecute him. Paul is now threatening to hold Fauci in contempt for invoking his constitutional rights."

• The Journal also calls the hearing a "shame" because it was a squandered opportunity to learn about the government's decision-making during the pandemic. The editorial faults Fauci for decisions on schools and lockdowns, and for attempting to "stifle" (with help from the press) debate at the time. But while Paul deserves credit for trying to investigate all this, the senator "is too set on criminalizing policy differences in our view, and Dr. Fauci doesn't belong in jail on any evidence we've seen," the board writes.