Commotion: PCR Test Creator’s Comments on Fauci
The Claim
Nobel Prize winner Kary Mullis said that Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the NIAID, is ignorant and untrustworthy.
News posted on
Emerging story
On March 15, the National File published an article titled “Inventor of PCR Test Said Fauci ‘Doesn’t Know Anything’ And Is Willing To Lie On Television.” The article features a video in which Kary Mullis, creator of the polymerase chain reaction test (PCR), alleges that Fauci is corrupt, untrustworthy, and ignorant.
The article was spread on social media and written about by other publications.
PCR tests are often used to diagnose COVID-19 and other viral infections. Mullis and Michael Smith shared the 1996 Nobel Prize for inventing the PCR test.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar could not find the origins of the interview, nor the date of when it appeared. The National File refers to it as “resurfaced,” but it’s unknown who do the actual resurfacing. This video is the longest clip we could find. The video is probably from the late 80s, as the latest data they use while talking about the AIDS epidemic is from 1986. That’s quite a few years before the pandemic started, so Mullis’ comments aren’t exactly relevant. Moreover, Fauci had only recent became director of the NIAID, so Mullis likely didn't have the time to develop a solid opinion on Fauci’s leadership abilities.
