GAIN OF FUNCTION: Its PolitiFact vs. PolitiFact and Dr. Fauci vs. Reality.

Dr. Fauci and Sen. Rand Paul had a contentious exchange at a Senate hearing yesterday. The gist – Se. Paul said the NIH funded ‘gain of function’ research (say, what!) at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and Dr. Fauci emphatically denied it.

PolitiFact then ran a non-fact check interview with Dr. Fauci in which he denied it again.

But – awkward moment – in a Feb 2021 Fact Check, PolitiFact noted as an aside that, per MIT biologist Kevin Esvelt, the NIH had funded gain of function research at the WIV. In that article they exonerated Dr. Fauci of a broader claim, that he had funded research that directly led to the COVID-19 virus.

The Team Fauci spinners will be earning their paychecks today. Let’s dive in. . . . Here is the paper in question, which acknowledges funding from the NIH. The bit on recombining genes and testing the lab creations for infectivity is excerpted below.

Does Team Fauci wants to insist this is not gain of function research?

Plus: “And do note: Nicholas Wade, formerly of the NY Times, Science and Nature points an accusing finger at Dr. Fauci and the NIH funding process. As does Nicholson Baker in NY Magazine.”