Republican U.S. Senators The Hill (R-Wis.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) released a series of text messages from a government-issued cellphone belonging to Dr. Anthony Fauci. The communications, produced by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to a request from Johnson, center on discussions from January 2021 regarding COVID-19 vaccines and pregnant women, according to Senate announcements.
GOP Senators Release Fauci Government Phone Texts
The device contains more than 34,000 text messages and 522 voicemails spanning from approximately 2014 until shortly before Fauci left his role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in December 2022. According to lawmakers, the phone lists only three contacts, with all other text messages identified strictly by phone numbers.
Internal Discussions on Pregnancy and First-Trimester Risks
The released text chain—involving Fauci, former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky, and former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy—took place between January 25 and 26, 2021. In the exchange, Murthy asked his colleagues about a World Health Organization (WHO) advisory against pregnant women taking the Moderna vaccine due to a lack of data, noting it could be damaging to public confidence.
Responding in the thread, Fauci stated that pregnant women must weigh the potential risks against the benefits
of getting immunized, adding that animal toxicity studies raised no red flags. However, Fauci also wrote in the chain: I asked around a bit more and another issue came up that you need to be aware of. Since many people have significant cytokines storm and fever after the 2nd dose, this theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester.
Both Walensky and Murthy agreed, with Murthy calling it a good point.
Later in 2021, public statements from federal health officials maintained that the vaccines were safe during pregnancy. In August 2021, Fauci noted that tens of thousands of vaccinated pregnant women had been followed by the CDC with no indication whatsoever
of increased adverse issues compared to unvaccinated pregnant women. In September 2021, Walensky issued a health alert stating the CDC strongly recommended vaccination either before or during pregnancy because benefits outweighed known or potential risks.
Investigation, Contempt Vote, and Next Steps
The document release coincides with an ongoing congressional investigation led by Johnson, who chairs the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Paul, who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Johnson asserted that the investigation has only just begun
and that reviewing the large volume of data will take time to protect individual privacy.
The release follows a hearing where Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times under questioning. Paul subsequently advanced a contempt of Congress resolution against Fauci, which was approved by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs panel and referred to the Department of Justice.
Summary of Released Timeline and Officials
- January 25–26, 2021: Text chain between Fauci, Rochelle Walensky, and Vivek Murthy discussing theoretical first-trimester miscarriage risks and WHO guidance.
- February 3, 2021: Fauci stated the FDA had found
no red flags
among more than 10,000 pregnant trial participants. - August 30, 2021: Fauci stated data from tens of thousands of vaccinated pregnant women showed no increased adverse issues.
- September 29, 2021: CDC Director Rochelle Walensky issued a strong recommendation for COVID-19 vaccination during or before pregnancy.
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