More than 800 pages of email correspondences of National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci between various individuals in 2020 obtained through the Freedom Of Information Act by The Washington Post reveal that he didn't actually believe what he publicly said about masks and COVID-19.
The Western Journal reported that one email between Fauci and former Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell showed the former advising the latter that there was no need to wear masks. Burwell asked Fauci if there's a need for her to "take a mask for the airport" since she will be traveling.
"Masks are really for infected people to prevent them from spreading infection to people who are not infected rather than protecting uninfected people from acquiring infection. The typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through the material," Fauci responded to Burwell in the email.
"It might, however, provide some slight benefit in keep out gross droplets if someone coughs or sneezes on you," Fauci added. "I do not recommend that you wear a mask, particularly since you are going to a very low risk location."
On the other hand, Buzzfeed reported that the heavy pressure that fell on Fauci in 2020 pushed him to "keep Americans calm and develop an effective strategy despite conflicts with the Trump Administration."
Buzzfeed said it obtained 3,200 pages of email for the first six months of 2020 after filing a lawsuit through the Freedom of Information Act. The outlet cited one email where a woman who is a total stranger to Fauci inquired if a person with pneumonia would be protected against COVID-19.
Fauci replied and thoroughly explained that, "Most of the pneumonias are pure viral pneumonia and so this vaccination will not help that."
"However, on the chance that you have a pure viral pneumonia that gets secondarily complicated by a bacterial pneumonia (pneumococcal) the vaccine would be beneficial," he elaborated. "If you are 65 years of age or older, you should get pneumonvax23 anyway regardless of the risk of coronavirus infection."
The Western Journal highlighted that Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, upon learning of the Fauci emails, took to Twitter to point out that what he has been saying about the masks since last year was actually right.
"Told you. #firefauci," he said. Then quickly added, "Can't wait to see the media try to spin the Fauci FOIA emails."
Can't wait to see the media try to spin the Fauci FOIA emails.
"” Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) June 2, 2021
Paul had been on Fauci's tail since last year regarding the masking guidelines and his statements on masking. Paul initially called Fauci's masking advocacy as demanding an act of "submission" in December and called it a "theater" come March during the Senate hearing on it.
Meanwhile, Fauci has been flip-flopping on his statements on the need to wear masks from saying the need to wear two of it for better protection, to the need to wear it on a "seasonal" and even "permanent" basis after the pandemic, to admitting just this May that he only required its use to avoid confusion among the public since he is a medical professional. He has now said that vaccinated people don't need to wear masks despite saying previously they should.
