Overview

• Sen. Rand Paul formally resubmitted his criminal referral of Dr. Anthony Fauci to the Justice Department, accusing him of perjury over his congressional testimony.
• The move follows a New York Times exposé showing that Chief of Staff Jeff Zients authorised autopen use to sign multiple preemptive pardons, including Fauci’s.
• Paul argues that without documented personal approval by the president, autopen-executed clemency may fail to meet constitutional requirements.
• President Trump and congressional Republicans have urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate both the autopen process and Fauci’s alleged false testimony.
• The renewed referral underscores ongoing partisan disputes over NIH funding and Fauci’s alleged role in gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.