Freedom of Information Act filings from BuzzFeed News, CNN and The Washington Post have led to the release of more than 3,200 pages of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s emails from January 2020 to June 2020.
The release shows Fauci worked plenty of overtime as the pandemic halted life as we know it.
Across the country, millions of people looked to his expertise for insight and guidance on how to defeat COVID-19. While Fauci received hundreds of questions on camera in television and news briefings, he also answered emails off-screen from nearly everyone who reached out, from colleagues and former colleagues, to producers, friends, celebrities, reporters and the occasional stranger.
Throughout his emails, Fauci took time to respond with sincere notes of support and strategy despite the ongoing conflicts between his office and the Trump administration.
From an email published by BuzzFeed, when a woman reached out on March 4 questioning whether pneumonia vaccines could provide protection against severe COVID-19, Fauci responded in detail only an hour later.
The woman replied five minutes later, “Oh my god. I honestly never expected you to reply and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so generous!”
The emails also reveal the weight of Fauci’s position.
From CNN, “This is White House in full overdrive and I am in the middle of it,” Fauci wrote in a Feb. 2 email published by BuzzFeed. “Reminiscent of post-anthrax days.”
Two days later in another email, he wrote, “I am really tired. Not much sleep these days.”
Despite everything, Fauci maintained he was never influenced by politics or told what to say.
According to emails published by BuzzFeed, when a columnist emailed in late February 2020 asking whether Fauci had received orders to get approval before speaking publicly about the virus, Fauci said, “I have never been muzzled or told that I could not speak out publicly about anything during this administration.”
About the Author
