Fauci responds to newly released emails and his flip-flopping on COVID origins

National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Thursday and was asked in detail for the first time since his emails from the early days of COVID-19 were released to journalists.

First, Fauci was asked about the purported Wuhan lab leak. While it is currently being investigated by U.S. officials, back in April of 2020, Fauci was emailing back and forth with National Institute of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins about how it was a “conspiracy theory.”

Now, the Chief Medical Advisor is walking back the email, telling host Willie Geist “we don’t know that for sure.” But a manmade origin was “low on the list of what we thought the likelihood was.” On Thursday, he asked everyone to “keep an open mind” about COVID-19 origins.

Fauci also appeared on MSNBC’s Deadline Wednesday as his first appearance since the news broke. When asked about his emails then, he tried to look on the bright side. “There’s no doubt that there are people out there who for one reason or another resent me for what I did in the last administration,” Fauci said. But, at the very least, his emails were “not anti-Trump at all” he added.

“You look at my emails, I never said anything derogatory about President Donald Trump,” Fauci said.

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism.