Anthony Fauci is a “lying disgrace,” said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who was the first to warn that China lied and that the coronavirus likely stemmed from the Wuhan lab.
“In January 2020, I warned China was lying and the COVID virus almost certainly came from China’s coronavirus lab. Tony Fauci’s diary shows how he worked with the liberal media to smear me, cover for China, and lie to the American people,” Cotton said in an exclusive statement obtained by Breitbart News, following Fauci’s abysmal testimony Wednesday before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
He continued, “Fauci is a lying disgrace who should be prosecuted. And the left must never be given power again.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Cotton was the first to point out that China was lying and point to the lab leak theory at a time where such claims were wholly dismissed by the radical left, establishment media, and Big Tech. In January 2020 – at the start of the pandemic – Cotton called for an investigation into the virus in a letter to then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf. In the letter, he emphasized the importance of determining the origin.
“If the virus didn’t originate in the seafood market, it’s critical to determine where it did— especially, I must add, since Wuhan is also home to a biosafety-level-4 super-laboratory that engages in the study of coronavirus, among other deadly pathogens,” the senator wrote.
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Cotton also openly spoke about the possibility of the lab leak theory the following month, which generated backlash from the establishment media – many who dismissed it as a wild “conspiracy” theory. The New York Times had a headline reading, “Senator Tom Cotton Repeats Fringe Theory of Coronavirus Origins.” The Huff Post had one reading, “Don’t Listen To Sen. Tom Cotton About Coronavirus.” Huff Post asserted Cotton was “boosting a debunked fringe theory circulating among tabloids and conservative media outlets.”
CNN went right along with them, publishing an article titled “Tom Cotton is playing a dangerous game with his coronavirus speculation.”
Business Insider concluded that “a GOP senator keeps pushing a thoroughly debunked theory that the Wuhan coronavirus is a leaked Chinese biological weapon gone wrong.”
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Yet, in May 2021, the Washington Post admitted that the lab leak theory “suddenly became credible.” The New York Times eventually reported that former Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned China for a “lack of transparency during the pandemic,” also calling for an investigation. The other outlets backtracked too, with CNN concluding that the lab leak theory was, indeed, “reasonable.”
Yet, for months upon months, Cotton and others were mistreated by the establishment media, Fauci, and his cronies.
This reminder follows the release of Fauci’s diaries, where the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) chief privately admitted that scientists suspected the coronavirus likely stemmed from a lab leak as he publicly blasted it as a wild conspiracy theory.
“There was not total agreement about the likelihood of deliberate insertion,” Fauci wrote, speaking of the engineering of the virus in a lab. However, only two seemed to openly disagree with the possibility of the lab leak theory, while the other scientists believed it was very possible, per his own admission.
Fauci’s personal diary also showcased his obsession with fame, glee of speaking with celebrities, and delight in people having crushes on him.