Tony's Diary Package — page 907

the research that we funded created SARS-CoV-2. It looks like I'm going to have a tough time at the hearing on November the 4th since they are clearly politically motivated and are doing anything to discredit me and the NIH. I had an enjoyable and productive discussion with the Minister of Health and Social Services of Quebec (Christian Dube and his chief medical advisor Horacio Arruda). The minister was very interested in my advice about where I think we are going with the outbreak looking forward. He asked the question that many ask as to when I believe we may return to some form of normality including when we can get along without wearing masks. I gave him the advice I usually give to people emphasizing how importance the implementation a vaccine program will be in determining when a given country can get back tomorrow. PRESS: MSNBC "Morning Joe"; CNN "New Day" with John Berman; Oct. 23, 2021 Global - 242,300,000/4,900,000; USA - 45,300,000/733,834 There was the typical but not unexpected backlash on the part of the far-right media concerning the letter that Larry Tabak sent out concerning the progress report from EcoHealth that was late. In order to be totally transparent, Larry sent out a note to Congressman Comer saying that Ecohealth was late in submitting a progress report of their grant and mentioned in the letter that some of the mice in the study had an increase in viral growth and got sicker. This was immediately taken up by the far right as proving that Fauci and Collins were lying when they said we did not fund gain of function research at Wuhan. They failed to mention that in that same letter Larry made it very clear that the research did not rise to the scrutiny of P3CO. In other words by our definition, it was not gain of function. This set off a firestorm of far right media craze saying that Francis and I lied. Therefore, I spent the greater part of today, tonight and tomorrow morning putting together a statement for the NIH website to correct the misrepresentation on the part of the far right media. Oct. 24, 2021 We are finally getting the statement in shape to put on the NIH website (see above). Fortunately, I was on the Sunday TV Show this morning (see below) with George Stephanopoulos where George gave me the opportunity to refute Rand Paul who will be saying tonight on HBO that I lied and that the President should fire me. I pushed back firmly on this during the TV hit with George and in today's press including Rolling Stone and the Washington Examiner they accurately picked up my push back. This is turning into a continual conflict between me and the far-right Congressman and the far-right media. I will not back down to these ridiculous accusations.