Sen. Rand Paul plans to investigate Covid-19 origins| STAT

WASHINGTON — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is the incoming chair of a committee with unique power for investigations. Paul says he plans to use that power to investigate the origins of Covid-19, and the investigation could have implications for ongoing efforts to reorganize the NIH.

The libertarian senator is among the most vocal critics of scientists and science agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and former top infectious disease researcher Anthony Fauci.

Paul says government officials misled the public about U.S. funding of research in Wuhan, China. He and House Republicans have looked into NIH funding of pathogen-altering research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and through grants to the EcoHealth Alliance.