06.05.2025 | 22:43
dpasaric kaže:
“In 2014, after 3 of Fauci’s bugs escaped, 300 scientists asked Obama to shut him down. Obama declared a moratorium—but Fauci moved the experiments offshore, mainly to the Wuhan lab. Now our own government—CIA, FBI, State, DOE—all say those experiments likely sparked the COVID pandemic. And it all started as bioweapons research in 1947. President Trump just moved to shut it down—for good.” — HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
likely
The claim that 300 scientists specifically warned President Obama to shut down Anthony Fauci's research due to bugs escaping is partially supported but lacks precise evidence in the provided references and requires clarification.
In 2014, a group of scientists, including members of the Cambridge Working Group, expressed concerns about gain-of-function (GOF) research, which involves enhancing the pathogenicity or transmissibility of viruses. This was prompted by biosafety incidents, including the escape of pathogens from high-containment labs (e.g., smallpox vials found at NIH and other incidents). The Cambridge Working Group, founded by scientists like Marc Lipsitch, sent a letter to the Obama administration urging a reassessment of GOF research due to risks of accidental release or misuse, though the exact number of signatories (300) is not consistently verified in primary sources. The letter focused broadly on GOF research, not Fauci personally, though Fauci was a prominent figure at NIAID, which funded some GOF studies.
The claim that they warned Obama to "shut down Anthony Fauci's research" is misleading. The scientists targeted risky GOF experiments, not Fauci as an individual. Following these concerns, Obama issued a moratorium in October 2014 on federal funding for certain GOF projects involving influenza, SARS, and MERS, while a risk-benefit assessment was conducted. Claims that Fauci moved this research offshore (e.g., to Wuhan) are speculative and lack direct evidence tying him to deliberate relocation; some NIH-funded projects continued under exemptions or through subawards, like those to EcoHealth Alliance.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others have amplified the "300 scientists" figure, but primary documentation (e.g., the Cambridge Working Group’s statement) doesn’t confirm exactly 300 signatories or explicitly name Fauci as the sole target. The claim also overstates Fauci’s role, as GOF research involved many institutions and researchers, including Ralph Baric and international collaborators.
Verdict: Partially true but exaggerated. Scientists did warn Obama about risks of GOF research after biosafety lapses, leading to a moratorium, but the claim that 300 specifically targeted Fauci’s work is not fully substantiated and misrepresents the broader focus of their concerns. Always dig into primary sources—letters or policy documents from 2014—rather than relying on secondhand narratives.