Nearly Half Of Americans Say Fauci Lied About Funding Gain-of-Function Research - Poll

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2021) Nearly half of US voters say National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci lied about funding gain-of-function virus research such as that at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a new Rasmussen Reports poll revealed.

"The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that only 33% of Likely US voters believe Fauci has told the truth about US government funding for gain-of-function virus research. That's a decline from June, when 40% believed Fauci had told the truth.� Forty-nine percent (49%) now say Fauci hasn't told the truth about funding gain-of-function research," Rasmussen Reports said.

Gain-of-function is controversial research conducted by some scientists to enable pathogens to be more transmissible in an effort to find out more about possible preventative measures.

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as well as Republican lawmakers have pointed toward the Wuhan Institute of Virology and their gain-of-function research as a possible origin of the novel coronavirus.

Fauci has testified under oath in Congress that he and his colleagues did not engage in gain-of-function research and if some did, they did so according to established rules. However, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) last Wednesday admitted that its partner EcoHealth Alliance did engage in such research. Numerous lawmakers, and Senator Rand Paul in particular, have said Fauci lied to Congress about US-funded gain of function research in Wuhan and should resign.

The Rasmussen Reports poll also found that almost half of US voters, 46%, believe that Fauci should be forced to resign and that 71% believe that the novel coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory.