Fauci's pandemic-era diary entries released by Senate committee ahead of scheduled testimony

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul released diary entries written by Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the committee's ongoing oversight investigation. Fauci had served as chief medical advisor to President Trump during the pandemic and continued in the role under President Biden.

The diaries, which chronicle events from spring and summer 2020, include entries in which Fauci documented pandemic statistics alongside personal observations about his public profile. On April 7, 2020, Fauci wrote that the press was "hot and heavy" about him, with "multiple stories per day directly or indirectly" involving him. By May 21, he wrote that his "national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable" and that it was "not hyperbole" to say he was "the most famous and talked about person in the country."

The entries also document Fauci's observations about his relationship with President Trump. Fauci wrote that Trump "seems to be enamored of me even though I am taking the spotlight away from him," describing the two as developing "a very unique and interesting relationship." He also noted that Secret Service agents had become familiar enough with him that they sometimes waved him through White House security without checking his identification.