Marjorie Taylor Greene Won’t Let Her “Wuhan Lab” Conspiracy Go

Last updated on May 21st, 2021 at 05:32 pm

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) continued to push a debunked conspiracy theory about Covid-19 this morning. She claimed without evidence that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top expert on infectious diseases, “sent money” to a lab in Wuhan, China which is where the conspiracy theory alleges it originated.

“It is strongly believed the Chinese virus came from the Wuhan lab,” she wrote. “Fauci is the highest paid employee in the federal government, more than the President.”

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Greene has used her Twitter account to draw attention to the “Fire Fauci Act,” legislation she introduced that would reduce the salary of Dr. Fauci to $0. She is correct that Fauci, who made $417,608 in 2019, is the highest-paid federal employee.

She is wrong, however, about the extent of Fauci’s authority: He can only recommend public health measures and has no power to force states to abide by mask mandates. Covid-19 was also not manufactured in a lab, despite her claims.

“A draft study associated with a group founded by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon is giving new life to social media claims that the coronavirus was manufactured intentionally in a Chinese lab,” the Associated Press reported last year after conducting a fact check.

“The four authors list their affiliation as the Rule of Law Society, a group founded by Bannon that says its mission is ‘to expose corruption, obstruction, illegality, brutality, false imprisonment, excessive sentencing, harassment, and inhumanity pervasive in the political, legal, business and financial systems of China.’ It is not a scientific organization,” the outlet added, noting that the conspiracy theory continues to thrive.

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.