Trump calls Biden’s signature delegation ‘one of the biggest scandals in 50 to 100 years’ as Paul reissues criminal referral against Fauci
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced Monday that he is reissuing his criminal referral against Dr. Anthony Fauci, reigniting a long-running feud and tying it directly to the escalating scandal over President Biden’s alleged misuse of the presidential autopen.
“Today I will reissue my criminal referral of Anthony Fauci to the Trump DOJ,” Paul posted on X.
This marks the third time Paul has formally referred Fauci for potential prosecution. The senator’s initial referral in 2021 accused Fauci—then Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—of lying to Congress about U.S. funding for gain-of-function research related to the COVID-19 virus at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Paul submitted a second referral in 2023 as part of his continued investigation into the virus’s origins.
“Perjury is a crime,” Paul said. “And Fauci must be held accountable.”
Criminal Referral Tied to Autopen Scandal
Paul’s renewed push coincides with fresh revelations in the Biden White House autopen saga—a controversy involving the president’s reported use of a mechanical signing device to authorize clemency decisions and other official documents in the final days of his term.
According to a New York Times report, White House emails indicate Biden’s Chief of Staff, Jeff Zients, gave direct approval to use the autopen for preemptive pardons—specifically for Fauci and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, both of whom were outspoken critics of former President Donald Trump.
Republicans Demand Accountability
Senate Republicans have launched multiple hearings into who was “really running” the White House during the final stretch of Biden’s presidency, questioning whether Biden was fully aware of the documents bearing his signature.
President Trump has publicly called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the matter and has sharply criticized the use of the autopen, suggesting it reflects Biden’s diminished capacity.
“This might be one of the biggest scandals in 50 to 100 years,” Trump told reporters Monday. “I guarantee you he had no idea what he was signing.”
Pardons Under Scrutiny
Biden issued more than 4,000 clemency orders in the closing months of his presidency, a volume that Trump and GOP lawmakers have seized upon as further evidence that the former president’s staff may have been operating independently of him.
Paul’s renewed referral of Fauci adds to the firestorm, linking the long-running COVID-19 accountability fight with the growing autopen controversy now engulfing Biden’s legacy.
