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Fauci texts on pregnancy risk
Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin released text messages Dr. Anthony Fauci sent and received in 2021 about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant women, obtained from Fauci’s government cellphone.
“no data or theoretical reason to believe that vaccinating early versus later in pregnancy would be preferred”
In a January 25, 2021 exchange, Vivek Murthy asked whether there was any “data or theoretical reason why vaccinating early vs late in pregnancy would be preferred,” and Fauci replied that there was “no data or theoretical reason to believe that vaccinating early versus later in pregnancy would be preferred.”
Fauci then wrote that “Since many people have significant cytokines storm and fever after the 2nd dose, this theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester,” and Rochelle Walensky and Murthy agreed with Fauci, writing he made a “good point.”
The Hill reported the device contained “more than 34,000” text messages and that Johnson’s office said lawmakers also obtained “522 voicemails,” while the senators said the text chain was among the records produced by HHS on August 5, 2026.
The Hill said the senators’ move came as Republicans on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs panel approved a resolution holding Fauci in contempt of Congress, after he pleaded the Fifth Amendment 111 times during testimony before the committee.
Senators frame it as contradiction
Johnson said the investigation into the former federal health official “has only just begun,” and he told Catherine Herridge on NewsNation’s “Katie Pavlich Tonight” that “My staff can’t guarantee that everything was preserved.”
In a Fox News Digital interview, Johnson called the private concern about miscarriage “just the tip of the iceberg,” and he said, “Tell the pregnant women not to even have a glass of wine, and yet we pressure them, persuade them, and sometimes even force them to undergo experimental gene therapy from the very first trimester,” adding, “This is really sick.”
CNN reported that the senators published screenshots of 11 texts sent during Fauci’s tenure as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, including Walensky’s reply, “Definitely a good point, esp after dose two.”
CNN also said Fauci wrote that more than 10,000 pregnant people had been vaccinated since Emergency Use Authorization and that “no issues have arisen,” while the CDC formally recommended vaccination on August 11, 2021 after analyzing data and finding no increased risks of miscarriage or other safety concerns.
The Hill said the senators’ release followed Republicans’ contempt vote and that Paul previously indicated he planned to send criminal referrals directly to the Justice Department rather than “waste time.”
Public health and consent stakes
The senators’ release emphasized that the text chain “could have an immediate impact on public health and the principle of informed consent,” while their statement said the phone contained more than 34,000 text messages and 522 voicemails and that “It is too early to determine whether any data has been deleted.”
“could have an immediate impact on public health and the principle of informed consent”
CNN reported that the CDC formally recommended on August 11, 2021 that pregnant people receive the vaccine after analyzing data and finding no increased risks of miscarriage or other safety concerns, and it said the agency warned during the pandemic that pregnant people were more likely to get severely ill compared to those who were not pregnant.
The Hill said Fauci told Dr. Howard Bauchner, then editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association, that the FDA had so far found “no red flags” among the “10,000-plus pregnant women” who participated in COVID vaccine trials to that point.
In the Washington Post account, Johnson said the release “could have an immediate impact on public health,” and he added, “you don’t wait a day, months, or years, to inform the public of potential dangers.”
CBS News reported that the text conversation began with Murthy asking whether there was any evidence suggesting pregnant women should receive COVID-19 vaccines earlier or later in pregnancy, and it said Walensky referenced the monitoring system called “V-safe” to track side effects for groups not included in the vaccines’ initial trials, including pregnant women.