This is a long interesting article from John Soloman Fauci Files: Celebrated doc's career dotted with ethics, safety controversies inside NIH Reinstated whistleblower says Fauci failed to get involved when problems emerged on his management watch. By Daniel Payne and John Solomon Updated: July 21, 2020 - 11:40pm
Earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci offered a pointed response to those who have challenged his stewardship of the pandemic as the nation's infectious disease chief: "I think you can trust me," he declared, citing his long record of service in government medicine.
A Just the News review of three decades of Fauci's leadership of the National Institutes of Health's infectious disease arm found that while his agency has achieved many successes in the fights against AIDS and other infectious diseases it also produced several instances — like the foster children research — in which congressional, government ethics and internal watchdogs found safety or ethics lapses on his watch. They include:
A 2004 internal NIH review that concluded Fauci's AIDS research division was a "troubled organization" where managers were creating a hostile atmosphere with "sexually explicit and colorful language" and "seemingly being unaware of the need for appropriate behavior, decorum and enforcement of good management practices and rules of supervision."
A pregnant Tennessee woman who died in 2003 after she enrolled in NIH-funded research in hopes of saving her soon-to-be-born son from getting AIDS. A review found that doctors continued to administer an experimental drug regimen despite signs of liver failure.
At least 10 children in a pediatric AIDS drug study died in what an investigation concluded was a death toll "significantly higher" than expected and unexplained.
An Office of Government Ethics investigation that cited NIAID for failing to review and clear two-thirds of its workers who were moonlighting in private industry for possible ethical conflicts.
A 1992 Department of Health and Human Services inspector general investigation that concluded NIAID failed to police two conflicts of interest in a vaccine experiment.
In an interview with Just the News, Fishbein said this week that Fauci failed to take responsibility for the managers and researchers working below him when signs of trouble emerged, allowing problems to persist until others intervened. "Fauci is all about Fauci," Fishbein said. "He loves being the headline. It’s his ego."
A spokeswoman for Fauci did not return multiple emails seeking comment about the past controversies. Over the years, NIH officials have acknowledged each of the problems and promised reforms. And while Fauci was not directly implicated in specific wrongdoing, his management has been called into question.
For instance, the 2004 report about problems inside the AIDS research division urged the head of NIH to insist on better management from above. "The overall management of this Division requires careful review," the report said.
The internal review also concluded that Fishbein's termination had created "the appearance of reprisal." Officials have said Fauci did not get involved in the termination.