(NewsNation) — Sen. Rand Paul. R-Ky., has a new book out called “Deception: The Great Covid Cover-Up,” in which he argues that Dr. Anthony, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was part of a COVID cover-up. 

Paul, in an interview on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live” said, “From early January, he knew that he had funded Wuhan.” 

Paul and Fauci have had a contentious relationship marked by disputes concerning the COVID-19 pandemic’s origins and vaccination policies. Paul has accused the former infectious disease expert of making contradictory statements about the virus’ origin, both publicly and privately, which he contends amounts to lying to Congress. 

Abrams questioned Paul about the perception of Fauci as a villain by many on the right and asked whether it was possible that Fauci had made mistakes but had still acted in the country’s best interest. Paul acknowledged that Fauci’s intentions were still open to debate but criticized his judgment in allowing gain-of-function research in an insecure environment and bypassing safety protocols. 

Paul’s main accusation centered around a cover-up, stating that Fauci knew early on that the virus was linked to Wuhan and funded by the National Institutes of Health.  

He claimed that Fauci directed the paper to be published in Nature, which denied the lab origin and attempted to cover up the connection. Paul argued that this behavior could not be condoned, as it aimed to evade responsibility for the pandemic’s consequences. 

When asked about whether officials investigating the virus’ origins could hold a legitimate position, Paul pointed to conflicts of interest among key figures. He cited the example of Peter Daszak, who had ties to the Wuhan lab and co-organized a letter from scientists that didn’t disclose their conflicts of interest. Paul urged scrutiny of individuals who may have been financially motivated. 

“There’s one of the key scientists who in private says that the virus looks like it came from the lab but in public says the opposite,” Paul said. 

In response to these allegations, Abrams suggested that the perception that anyone disagreeing with Paul’s position is corrupt might be too extreme.  

Paul clarified that he was not casting aspersions on every scientist who believed in the animal origin theory. Still, he emphasized the need to question researchers with potential financial stakes in their positions and exclude them from the examination. 

According to the declassified COVID-19 origins report, U.S. intelligence agencies found no direct evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic stemmed from an incident at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology. 

Abrams also asked Paul about funding Israel as it battles Hamas. Paul expressed his support for Israel but argued that the aid package of over $14 billion to Israel should be offset by cutting a similar amount from the IRS budget.  

“If Democrats want to compromise and say, we don’t want to take it from the IRS, we’d rather take it from another place. I’m open to listening to where the money comes from,” Paul said. 

He believed that borrowing money to send aid to another country, even an ally such as Israel, did not make sense, as it added to the national debt. He emphasized the need for an offset, either through cutting IRS funding or another source, but stressed that it must be paid for as the national debt posed a significant threat to the country. 

The Congressional Budget Office suggested that such a move might cost taxpayers more than it would save. Paul countered by challenging the CBO’s predictions and expressed a willingness to explore alternative offsets. 

Shifting the discussion to Kentucky politics, Abrams asked about the recent reelection of Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, despite Kentucky’s Republican-leaning history. Paul pointed out that the state’s voters had a history of splitting their tickets, voting for Democrats at the top of the ballot but selecting Republicans for other positions.  

He attributed this trend to the perception that governors were often the primary face of government spending, making incumbents more likely to be reelected. 

The conversation then turned to the Department of Justice and its alleged targeting of conservatives. Paul argued that the DOJ had been lenient in pursuing cases involving prominent Democrats, such as Hunter Biden, who faced accusations similar to those of Paul Manafort.  

He contended that the government appeared to treat people differently based on their ideology and political associations, raising concerns of continued strife in the country.