Raul Ruiz Asked Point Blank: 'What's Your Position On Gain Of Function Research?'

3 months ago

At a House Democratic press briefing, Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA) was asked about gain-of-function research before Dr. Anthony Fauci testified before the House Oversight Committee.

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Transcript

00:00So independent of what Republicans claim Khashoggi didn't do, what's your position on gain-of-function

00:13research?

00:14Again, aside from the veracity of those claims.

00:16Well currently, under the debt, and this is why it's very important and I believe that

00:21it is the responsibility of the press to also clarify what you mean by gain-of-function

00:27research because this has been a cause of great conspiratorial accusations that are

00:33false regardless of the people making those accusations knowing the true definition of

00:40gain-of-function.

00:41Now under the P3CO, it is not allowed to enhance the transmissibility or the pathogenicity

00:51of a potential pandemic pathogen and that is defined by a pathogen that has the capacity

00:59of creating great morbidity and mortality.

01:02So that's already been settled and Dr. Fauci and NIAID did not fund P3CO-defined gain-of-function

01:17research.

01:18Just to follow up on that briefly, I mean, virologists claim that that kind of research

01:23does help those that are against the next pandemic speak to that.

01:26So currently it is not allowed.

01:28Yes.

01:29What do you think needs to happen in terms of just accountability for the pandemic in

01:35general?

01:36Obviously your definition of it might contrast with Republicans, but does somebody need to

01:40be held accountable for either pushing the Wuhan 5 leak theory or some of the other actions

01:44that were taken in response to the pandemic?

01:46Let's be clear that the lab leak theory is a part of the conspiratorial accusations that

01:55we have spent 15 months preparing.

01:58The lab leak theory is a possibility.

02:02It is possible that the virus leaked from a lab in Wuhan.

02:09It is also still very possible that the virus came from animal transmission and we don't

02:15have that information.

02:16So Democrats have always advocated to address both issues, to find forward-looking solutions

02:25to prevent a lab leak by fostering lab safety and transparency with an international accord.

02:35And we've also advocated to have hearings on how to identify high-risk animal transmission

02:42locations, how to have an international cooperative approach to contain the virus at the source.

02:51But we have not.

02:53And the reason we have not had these hearings that would actually help us prevent and prepare

02:58for the next pandemic is because Republicans have focused on proving their theory that

03:04that Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins funded the research that created the SARS-CoV-2 virus

03:13and that since it leaked, they were on a massive cover-up operation to suppress the truth and

03:20even bribed officials to change their minds.

03:23That has been what we have spent 15 months through and countless of interviews, countless

03:30of documents, countless of investigative hours to prove through a confirmation bias.

03:38So even though the lab leak theory could still be a possibility, it is delinked from all

03:45these other conspiratorial accusations around Dr. Fauci, NIAID, and NIH.

Raul Ruiz Asked Point Blank: 'What's Your Position On Gain Of Function Research?'

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