Republican Senator Rand Paul has said Dr Anthony Fauci owes Americans an apology ahead of a scheduled Senate hearing, arguing that in years of media appearances and previous congressional testimony Fauci has never expressed regret. The comments come as Fauci, who led the United States' public health response to Covid-19 under two different presidential administrations, prepares to face renewed scrutiny from lawmakers over his handling of the pandemic and, in particular, decisions around gain-of-function research funding.

Paul, a longtime and vocal critic of Fauci, specifically referenced funding for what he described as "dangerous research", a reference to the long-running controversy over US-backed virus research and its possible links to the pandemic's origins. The remarks were made in the lead-up to a Wednesday Senate hearing, which follows separate reports of contradictions emerging from Fauci's personal diary entries relating to the Covid-19 response.