Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., slammed Dr. Anthony Fauci, accusing him of being culpable of "one of the worst judgment errors" in his handling of COVID by pushing for the funding "gain of function" research in China. Paul joined "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday to discuss the investigation into the origins of COVID as a new report suggests two lab leaks in Wuhan could have led to the pandemic. 

THESE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AGENCIES HAVE ADMITTED COVID LAB LEAK IS PLAUSIBLE

RAND PAUL: I think Fauci deserves culpability and history is going to judge him very poorly because he made the judgment to fund this research. It's dangerous research. He doesn't want to call it gain of function, but most other scientists do call it gain of function in Wuhan in an opaque totalitarian country. And in the end, there was a leak from the lab and millions of people died worldwide. And this didn't happen sort of accidentally. The leak may have been accident, but the funding wasn't accidental. Tony Fauci actually went around the system. We had set up a system where there's a committee, they're supposed to go before a committee to judge whether this was dangerous and whether it should be funded. Tony Fauci exempted Wuhan from the committee. They never went before the committee. And this is extraordinary. The committee that was supposed to provide safety and review this, never looked at the research in Wuhan because Tony Fauci gave them exception. So the thing is, yes, he does bear responsibility for maybe one of the worst judgment errors in the history of modern medicine or modern public health to fund this dangerous research.

Dr. Anthony Fauci

Dr. Anthony Fauci accusing the GOP of "character assassination" masquerading as oversight.  (Getty Images)

FOX NEWS POLL: MAJORITY SAYS BIDEN TRYING TO COVER UP ORIGINS OF COVID-19

Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe says the "only explanation" and "plausible assessment" for the COVID-19 global pandemic is a leak from a Chinese Communist Party-controlled lab, citing U.S. intelligence and "numerous, diverse and unassailable" sources for the information.

Fox News testified Tuesday before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

"My informed assessment as a person with as much access as anyone to our government’s intelligence … has been and continues to be that a lab leak is the only explanation credibly supported by our intelligence, by science and by common sense," Ratcliffe told the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.