Anthony Fauci’s private writings from 2020 and beyond portray a public health official who was fixated on his growing celebrity while privately grappling with a pandemic response he believed was chaotic, leaderless, and consumed by internal rivalries.
The writings of the nation’s former leading medical voice during the COVID-19 pandemic are part of a 1,141-page release published by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) last week ahead of Fauci’s scheduled testimony on Wednesday.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), left, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, right. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib and AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
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Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), left, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, right. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib and AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...338139172-e1768343681413.jpg?1785166991&w=696" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...1768343681413.jpg?1768320351&w=696&1768320351" alt="Paul and Fauci" class="wp-image-4417608" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...ge-kqfde1v6x-1768338139172-e1768343681413.jpg 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...68338139172-e1768343681413.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...68338139172-e1768343681413.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...68338139172-e1768343681413.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...68338139172-e1768343681413.jpg?resize=696,464 696w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), left, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, right. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib and AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Paul, a longtime critic of Fauci, has characterized the documents as evidence that the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director misled Congress and placed personal interests above transparency. Fauci has previously rejected Paul’s allegations.
The committee separately released records concerning Fauci’s awards and prize money. Those documents show federal ethics officials reviewing the awards, approving some payments, and prohibiting others. They do not contain a finding that Fauci violated ethics rules.
Here are six key takeaways.
1. Fauci closely tracked his public image
Fauci’s diary is part pandemic record and part personal press archive. Hundreds of entries list interviews, flattering articles, celebrity encounters, and awards.
On April 5, 2020, as COVID-19 cases and deaths climbed, Fauci noted a “nice article” in the Washington Post about his relationship with former White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator Deborah Birx and a “beautiful profile of me” from the BBC.
President Donald Trump listens as White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington. Birx has emerged as one of the most important voices in the administrationâs response to the coronavirus pandemic.
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ap20087729386873-scaled.jpg?w=696" height="683" width="1024" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ap20087729386873-scaled.jpg?w=696" alt="President Donald Trump listens as White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington. Birx has emerged as one of the most important voices in the administrationâs response to the coronavirus pandemic." class="wp-image-526511" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ap20087729386873-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...11/ap20087729386873-scaled.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...11/ap20087729386873-scaled.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...1/ap20087729386873-scaled.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/.../ap20087729386873-scaled.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/.../ap20087729386873-scaled.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...11/ap20087729386873-scaled.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...11/ap20087729386873-scaled.jpg?resize=696,464 696w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...1/ap20087729386873-scaled.jpg?resize=1068,712 1068w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/.../ap20087729386873-scaled.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
President Donald Trump listens as White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington. Birx has emerged as one of the most important voices in the administration in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The next day, he described President Donald Trump’s briefing as his “usual rambling stream of consciousness show,” then turned to his own publicity.
“Intense publicity about me continues with stories of grandmothers who have crushes on me,” Fauci wrote. “Petitions to vote me ‘Sexiest Man Alive.’ Major stories about my basketball career at Regis.”
Although a filmmaker was seeking access for a documentary, Fauci said he was reluctant because “the optics are bad,” adding: “My main goal is to stop this outbreak.”
Elsewhere, Fauci called himself an “international celebrity” and described his fame as “explosive and really unimaginable.”
2. Fauci worried the administration had “no plan” early into pandemic
Alongside the flattering coverage, Fauci recorded deep concern about the federal government’s competence.
On April 6, 2020, he wrote that officials lacked a clear strategy for reopening the country.
“No one is really in charge or even knows what they are doing,” Fauci wrote.
He repeated the concern on April 7, writing, “There really is no plan and no one is really in charge.”
On April 15, Fauci wrote that he discussed resigning from the White House Coronavirus Task Force with his wife. The CDC and FEMA “have no idea what they are doing,” he wrote, while calling White House briefings “a total **** Show with POTUS rambling.”
Fauci mentioned Trump “rambling” at least 15 times across the years of diary entries that Paul made public.
Fauci worried that resigning would cause “a global explosion” and make it appear to his “many admirers” that he was “deserting the cause.” He ultimately remained in his job.
3. Diary confirms White House officials fought over his television appearances
By June 20, 2020, Fauci believed his relationship with Trump was deteriorating, and simultaneously saw ex-White House aide Alyssa Farah Griffin as his primary ally in the White House for landing media interviews.
“The POTUS … probably hates me by now, even though he says that he ‘loves me,’” Fauci wrote on June 20, following media reports that he and other health officials advised the president not to host a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma citing an influx of COVID-19 cases in the Sooner State.
President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the BOK Center, Saturday, June 20, 2020, in Tulsa, Okla. | (Evan Vucci/AP)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/trump-rally-ok.jpg?w=696" height="591" width="1024" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/trump-rally-ok.jpg?w=696" alt="President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the BOK Center, Saturday, June 20, 2020, in Tulsa, Okla." class="wp-image-2659167" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/trump-rally-ok.jpg 2290w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/trump-rally-ok.jpg?resize=300,173 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/trump-rally-ok.jpg?resize=768,443 768w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/trump-rally-ok.jpg?resize=1024,591 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/trump-rally-ok.jpg?resize=1536,887 1536w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/trump-rally-ok.jpg?resize=2048,1182 2048w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/trump-rally-ok.jpg?resize=150,87 150w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/trump-rally-ok.jpg?resize=696,402 696w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/trump-rally-ok.jpg?resize=1068,617 1068w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/trump-rally-ok.jpg?resize=1920,1108 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the BOK Center, Saturday, June 20, 2020, in Tulsa, Okla. | (Evan Vucci/AP)
He also accused Birx of underplaying surges in 13 states that were “on fire” and suggested he might need to “blow the whistle on her” over disagreements about clinical trials.
The entry documents the boiling point over divisions within the White House communications operation concerning the pandemic, and how desperately Fauci wanted to continue appearing in front of cameras.
Alyssa Farah Griffin attends the Disney network upfront at North Javits Center on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
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Alyssa Farah Griffin attends the Disney network upfront at North Javits Center on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/.../07/AP26169827175571-e1784745522216.jpg?w=696" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/.../07/AP26169827175571-e1784745522216.jpg?w=696" alt="Alyssa Farah Griffin attends the Disney network upfront at North Javits Center on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)" class="wp-image-4659324" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26169827175571-e1784745522216.jpg 700w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...69827175571-e1784745522216.jpg?resize=263,300 263w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...69827175571-e1784745522216.jpg?resize=150,171 150w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...69827175571-e1784745522216.jpg?resize=300,343 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...69827175571-e1784745522216.jpg?resize=696,795 696w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px">
Alyssa Farah Griffin attends the Disney network upfront at North Javits Center on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
“Kayleigh McEnany essentially saying that I will not be out in the press,” Fauci wrote. “Alyssa Farah is the one hope in Comms since she clearly wants me out there,” he said of the former White House aide, who now co-hosts The View.
Fauci described being “constantly pinged” by journalists. After Trump suggested at the Tulsa rally that officials should “slow down the testing,” Fauci wrote that he answered reporters “on background or off the record.”
4. Fauci sought nominations for major awards
A separate committee release shows Fauci approaching associates about nominating him for awards and offering to provide the materials.
In 2018, after Duke University researcher Barton Haynes nominated him for the Shaw Prize, Fauci proposed another.
“There is another one that looks possible for me if you are willing to do it,” Fauci wrote. “As usual, I will supply all of the material. It is the Dan David Prize.”
Fauci subsequently asked Haynes to pursue a Heinz Award nomination and suggested how to make the case.
Haynes was a longtime collaborator whose Duke institute received substantial NIAID support. The records do not show Fauci offering funding or another benefit for a nomination, but Paul argues that the relationship raises conflict-of-interest questions.
5. NIH helped clear a nearly $900,000 payment to Fauci
The records show NIH employees assembling award materials, contacting sponsors, and navigating federal ethics reviews.
Then-NIH Principal Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak told Fauci his goal was “to support you in the strongest possible way.” Officials prohibited Fauci from accepting cash from awards sponsored by Vanderbilt University and Georgia Tech because both received NIAID funding.
But they approved the Dan David Prize after determining it qualified as a bona fide public-service award from a private foundation rather than a foreign government.
The award was valued at $1 million, with 10% designated for scholarships.
An email released by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul shows NIH employees celebrating ethics approval of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s Dan David Prize, with one writing, “Congratulations….you’re rich!” (U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs)
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An email released by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul shows NIH employees celebrating ethics approval of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s Dan David Prize, with one writing, “Congratulations….you’re rich!” (U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs)
After its approval, one NIH employee wrote, “At last!!!!!!!” Another said, “Congratulations….you’re rich!” Fauci aide Greg Folkers said, “I want my 15%.”
Fauci aide Greg Folkers said, “I want my 15%,” after NIH approved Fauci’s acceptance of the Dan David Prize, according to an email released by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul. (U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs)
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Fauci aide Greg Folkers said, “I want my 15%,” after NIH approved Fauci’s acceptance of the Dan David Prize, according to an email released by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul. (U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs)
Fauci later corrected his financial disclosure: “The Dan David prize that was deposited in my bank account was $899,960.00, not $901,400.”
6. Scientists initially treated a lab leak origin seriously
On Jan. 31, 2020, Fauci recorded a call with scientists concerned about mutations in the virus, and at the time Fauci appeared more seriously open to the idea that the virus originated out of an NIH-funded lab in Wuhan, China, rather than by natural origin, according to the diary entries.
“The people on the phone felt that the mutations … could not have occurred naturally,” Fauci wrote. “They raised the possibility of deliberate insertion followed by a laboratory release, with an accidental release considered more likely.”
Fauci recommended convening additional experts.
Following a call the next day, he wrote that two of the scientists believed the feature could have emerged naturally, while “the rest felt that deliberate insertion was possible.”
In public, however, Fauci spent months insisting that the virus must have jumped from animals to humans and that it likely happened at a Wuhan wet market.
Several scientists soon supported a natural origin, and Fauci later cited their analysis publicly. Previously released emails revealed Fauci privately had a hand in shaping the scientific paper he would go on to cite as objective evidence of the natural origin theory.
Notably, Fauci recounted in his diary that in late July 2022, he had an “interesting” conversation with Bret Baier, saying the Fox News anchor “finally admitted” to him that the “lab leak theory really is not true” after he read two recent scientific papers at the time.
Fauci wrote in a July 28, 2022, diary entry that Fox News anchor Bret Baier told him two recent scientific papers had convinced him “the lab leak theory is really not true.” (U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs)
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Fauci wrote in a July 28, 2022, diary entry that Fox News anchor Bret Baier told him two recent scientific papers had convinced him “the lab leak theory is really not true.” (U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs)
In January 2025, years after the pandemic began, the CIA concluded that the virus most likely originated from a Chinese laboratory.
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That reassessment, based on a review of existing intelligence rather than new evidence, brought the CIA into alignment with the FBI and Department of Energy, which had already established a laboratory-related origin with “moderate confidence” and “low confidence” assessments, respectively.
Fauci is scheduled to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
