Anthony Fauci’s appearance before a Republican-led House panel prompted sharply divided reactions from critics and allies, reflecting continuing political disputes over the US response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Republican lawmakers accused the former top infectious-disease official of misleading the public and downplaying the possibility of a laboratory origin for the virus, while Democrats defended his public-health record and criticised attacks on him as politically motivated.

The hearing focused on pandemic restrictions, vaccine policy, the origins of COVID-19 and alleged efforts to conceal evidence. Fauci rejected claims that he had covered up information or funded dangerous research in China, and said he and his family had faced sustained threats because of misinformation. The exchange showed that, years after the emergency phase of the pandemic, its handling remains a major source of partisan conflict in the United States.