Fauci’s Faustian Bargain

A Faustian bargain is a deal with the Devil, trading principle for power, prestige, or personal ambition. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared to make such a bargain – exchanging the skepticism and humility that define sound science for the adoration, celebrity, and political influence that transformed him into “America’s doctor.”

His recently released personal diary – ironically so personal that it was stored on government servers and on a government-issued cell phone – offers a glimpse into two very different personas.

One was the tireless public health official who confidently reassured Americans that he was following “the science,” as confirmed by a fawning corporate media. The other depicts a scientist privately wrestling with uncertainties that contrasted with his public certainty, raising questions about what he believed, what he communicated, and why he did so.

The diary reflects discussions about the virus’s probable laboratory origin, doubts about the effectiveness of masking, distancing, and lockdowns, more muted expectations for COVID-19 vaccines, and concerns about potential adverse effects, including among pregnant women.

If Dr. Fauci was simply doing his best with incomplete information during a rapidly evolving pandemic, he had an opportunity to explain how those decisions were made, acknowledge mistakes where appropriate, and help restore public confidence before the next public health crisis.

Instead, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than one hundred times during questioning by congressional investigators, portraying himself as the victim of political persecution rather than answering their questions.

He once claimed, “I have nothing to hide and can defend everything I’ve done.” Yet he took the Fifth, hiding everything and defending nothing.

Whether history ultimately judges Fauci mistaken, misleading, or something more sinister, the broader issue extends well beyond one individual.

A recent Rasmussen Reports survey indicates that many Americans have already formed their own conclusions. Seventy-one percent of likely U.S. voters believe it is a “serious scandal” that senior officials at the Food and Drug Administration knew about significant COVID-19 vaccine safety concerns but concealed them from the public.

Half of those surveyed described it as a “very serious” scandal, while only 10 percent dismissed it as unimportant. Perhaps the latter group were charter members of the Fauci bobblehead collectors club.

The survey follows findings released by Sen. Ron Johnson’s committee, which alleged that senior FDA officials ignored warnings that the agency’s vaccine-safety monitoring system was detecting signals that warranted further investigation.

If those allegations are ultimately substantiated, Americans will understandably ask whether these failures stemmed from incompetence, institutional self-protection, or something more nefarious.

The Rasmussen survey found that 37 percent of likely voters believe officials who knowingly concealed such information should lose their jobs, lose their professional licenses, and face criminal prosecution. Only 10 percent believe that no punishment is warranted.

Whether accountability ultimately comes through criminal prosecution, professional discipline, congressional oversight, or simply a full public accounting, many Americans believe that someone should be held accountable for what occurred. Without accountability, public trust cannot be restored.

Note that the Rasmussen Reports survey focused solely on the FDA. Many other agencies, including the CDC and NIH, participated in the COVID-19 misinformation follies.

Trust is essential for government institutions to maintain credibility with the American people.

Distrust does not arise in a vacuum. It is cultivated when certainty supplants humility and questions are treated as threats rather than opportunities for inquiry and reassessment.

Trust is the foundation on which modern medicine rests. Once that foundation is fractured, rebuilding it may take generations – far longer than the time it took to destroy it.

Brian C. Joondeph, M.D., is a Colorado-based ophthalmologist who writes frequently about medicine, science, and public policy.

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