James Erdman III lifts his right hand as he takes the oath to testify to the Senate Homeland Protection and Government Affairs Committee on May 13, 2026. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)
By Nicole Silverio May 16, 2026 at 5:00am
No Democrats attended a committee hearing Wednesday featuring a whistleblower who accused former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci of covering-up details about the origins of COVID-19.
Central Intelligence Agency employee James Erdman III appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to testify about Fauci’s alleged role in covering-up the origins of COVID-19, with no Democrats on the committee being present.
“No Democrats showed. They don’t care to dismantle the deep state,” Gabrielle Lipsky, the deputy communications director for Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
NEW: There are zero Democrats from the Senate Homeland Security Committee present for opening statements as an active CIA employee testifies before the committee about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic & a U.S. government coverup.
GOP Senators here include Moody, Moreno,…— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 13, 2026
Democratic Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, a member of the committee, reportedly said something along the lines of, “what’s going on here?” when he walked past the room where the hearing took place, Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin reported. It was unclear if he was being serious.
Democratic Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the ranking member on the committee, did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
Erdman alleged that Fauci and other officials in former President Joe Biden’s administration altered report conclusions that concluded that COVID originated in a lab in Wuhan, China.
The hearing came following the deadline for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to charge Fauci for allegedly lying to Congress about gain-of-function research being the cause of the virus. The statute of limitations to take action against Fauci expired Monday.
Paul, the chairman of the committee, said on X that he held the hearing to help uncover how Fauci “misled and defrauded” the American public.
“The DOJ may never act, but the American people know the truth: Fauci misled and defrauded this country,” Paul said. “I won’t stop uncovering the truth around the great COVID cover-up. That’s why I will have a whistleblower testify before my committee this Wednesday.”
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