Perhaps no one has done more damage to the credibility of the scientific community over the last year and a half than Dr. Anthony Fauci. RedState has written more articles than I can count documenting his contradictions, dishonesty, and even complicity regarding COVID-19 (see here, here, and here for a sample).

Yet Fauci continues to be a super-star on the left, largely because he represented a foil to Donald Trump, but also because he’s become even more overtly political under Joe Biden’s tenure. To those who crave power, Fauci is the perfect spokesman, able to parlay faux claims of scientific authority into ever-encroaching government power.

As a defense, Fauci has often hidden behind claims of naivete. The science “changes,” he claims. Meanwhile, when confronted with questions about the NIH’s funding of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, he’s routinely acted as if he’s simply unaware that Chinese scientists operate under the total control of the Chinese Communist Party. Fauci did that again this weekend in the wake of his dramatic clash with Sen. Rand Paul, which raised even more questions about why he seems so protective of the Chinese.

NEW: Dr. Anthony Fauci just praised the “qualified, highly respected Chinese scientists” that the NIH collaborated with at the Wuhan Institute of Virology over the years, continuing to defend NIH’s funding of bat coronavirus research in China.@DCExaminerhttps://t.co/GDzRiNaQQ4

— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) July 23, 2021

“You know, it’s more complicated than that … If you look at the research that was done, it was research that was highly recommended by peer review, our United States peer reviews. It got a very high score in the peer review system. And the purpose of the research was very, very clear. It was to try to determine what was out there in the bat population that might be ultimately risky for us. It was done in the context of trying to find out what the precise environmental bat source was of SARS-CoV-2 so that we could prevent SARS-CoV-2.”

“So, it was research that was done by qualified people. Right now, when there’s all of this thing about China, that’s a different situation now than back then when you’re dealing with qualified, highly respected Chinese scientists. So it isn’t what was made out to be about dealing with really, really bad people. Because those scientists were very well-respected in the scientific community internationally.”

Fauci is a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them, and there is no mundane explanation at this point for him supposedly being completely oblivious to the fact that no amount of individual qualification in China negates the control the communist leadership exerts. Even assuming Fauci’s determination is correct, that these scientists in Wuhan were imminently qualified, it is impossible to separate them from the Chinese government.

Communist China’s atrocities are not a secret. They’ve been documented for the better part of a century. Yet, Fauci apparently has no qualms whatsoever with sending the CCP money and trusting their proclamations despite their horrific track record. That becomes even more egregious when you consider the lies China has been caught in regarding COVID-19, from the initial cover-up to the denial of its transmissibility to Chinese authorities now trying to blame the United States via a deranged conspiracy theory.

This is the government that Fauci believes is worthy of colluding with for scientific research?

Nothing special here.
Look over there!#LabLeak#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/iXHIE9Hz3x

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) July 24, 2021

Now, some might argue that Fauci’s reliance on and defense of the Chinese was truly born out of ignorance prior to the pandemic. Yet, if that were true, you’d expect to see a shift in his tone and an admission that working with Chinese-controlled institutions going forward is not an acceptable path.

Instead, when confronted directly on that issue, Fauci deflected. Yes, regarding the easiest lay-up left for him to make in order to show he now understands the danger China represents, he bounces it off the top of the backboard in an attempt to keep his options open.

.@jaketapper: Going forward, given China won't allow a real investigation, do you still think USG should collaborate with Wuhan labs, especially on risky research?

Fauci: "We have always been very careful. And, looking forward, we will continue to be very careful in what we do."

— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) July 25, 2021

This all leaves one big question hanging out there – what does China have on Fauci?

We are past the point where naivete can be blamed. Rather, probable explanations are now moving toward the realm of the nefarious, either via self-interest or something else. Fauci has had ample opportunity at this point to absorb every negative revelation out of China throughout this pandemic. There is no longer any excuse for him to not affirmatively condemn their actions and pledge to sever the relationship.

That Fauci won’t do that is incredibly disturbing and suspicious.