Dr. Anthony Fauci is expected to be deposed under oath as part of a lawsuit alleging that the federal government colluded with social media companies to suppress free speech.According to The Kansas City Star, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, filed the lawsuit alongside Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.The complaint suggests that the Biden administration proactively attempted to censor speech that could be characterized as coronavirus-related misinformation."Defendant Dr. Anthony Fauci, a senior federal government official, coordinating with others, orchestrated a campaign to discredit the lab-leak hypothesis in early 2020," Landry and Schmitt wrote in a court filing. "As director of [National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases] NIAID, Dr. Fauci had funded risky 'gain-of-function' research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology through intermediaries such as EcoHealth Alliance, headed by Dr. Peter Daszak."However, the filing seemed somewhat speculative, insofar as it said that Dr. Fauci and his administration counterparts “could” be considered liable for misconduct if hitherto-unsubstantiated theories were to be substantiated.

A gavel. Image via Wikimedia Commons via Flickr/user: Brian Turner. (CCA-BY-2.0).

"Thus, if the lab-leak theory were established, Dr. Fauci and Dr. Daszak could be potentially implicated in funding the research on viruses that caused the COVID19 pandemic and killed millions of people worldwide," Landy and Schmitt said.The attorneys general also claim to be in possession of documents that demonstrate that the Biden administration suppressed information relating to certain COVID-related hypotheses.“Since we filed our landmark lawsuit, we have uncovered documents and discovery that show clear coordination between the Biden Administration and social media companies on censoring speech, but we’re not done yet. We plan to get answers on behalf of the American people. Stay tuned,” Schmitt wrote in a press release uploaded to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office website.The Kansas City Star notes that Dr. Fauci—along with other prominent Biden administration figures—have become targets for Republican prosecutors, who have accused the White House of attempting to limit Americans’ fundamental rights amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.Schmitt, writes the Star, has repeatedly pursued similar complaints: earlier this year, he filed lawsuit after lawsuit against Missouri school districts that tried to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by asking students to wear masks and socially distance.Louisiana Attorney General Landry also stressed that his office will vigorously investigate claims that the Biden administration colluded with “Big Tech” in violation of Americans’ First Amendment rights."We all deserve to know how involved Dr. Fauci was in the censorship of the American people during the COVID pandemic; tomorrow, I hope to find out. And I will continue fighting for the truth as it relates to Big Government colluding with Big Tech to stifle free speech," Landry said.Dr. Fauci, notes FOX News, recently delivered his last press statements on Tuesday, saying that he plans to retire from his position in the near future."It's really a great pleasure to be back here with you again, albeit I believe for the last time," Fauci said, before urging Americans to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

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Fauci to be deposed in lawsuit from Missouri’s Schmitt claiming free speech violationsFauci to be deposed this week in GOP lawsuit alleging COVID collusion with Big TechMissouri AG to depose Fauci in social media lawsuit