Rand Paul rips Fauci following latest hearing fireworks: He doesn't want debate because he 'is science'

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul and National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Disease Director Anthony Fauci sparred once again in a Senate hearing, with the lawmaker pressing Fauci on reports he sought to quash what the doctor called "fringe" epidemiologists' coronavirus mitigation strategies, and accusations he is at least tangentially culpable in the creation of viruses through gain-of-function research.

"[Fauci] funded the lab," Paul told host Martha MacCallum. "He tried to obscure the idea that he was giving money to the lab and then he steadfastly, for two years, said it wasn't gain of function, that they weren't taking viruses that don't exist in nature, creating them and creating viruses that are so dangerous that they could actually wipe out a portion of humanity."

"He continues to deny that if this came from the lab -- yes, he's culpable," Paul added. "So when you ask him to investigate it, he's not exactly interested. He has a conflict of interest because it came from the lab."

The Kentucky senator discussed how Fauci previously appeared to claim to be the human embodiment of science by declaring, "I am the science" in response to another interviewer's question about critics attacking him.