By Gray Rohrer, The News Service of Florida
Former House Speaker Paul Renner is attempting to climb up the polls and drag down U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds in the Republican gubernatorial primary, but he’s also trained his sights at Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Fauci, who was a top medical advisor to President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden during the COVID-19 pandemic, garnered headlines this week for invoking his Fifth Amendment right not to testify before a Congressional hearing.
“Was he involved in helping a foreign adversary to produce a deadly weapon basically that was unleashed on the rest of us?” Renner asked in an interview with the News Service of Florida.
Renner was referring to the allegation the National Institute of Health helped fund gain of function research, which tests how altered viruses act in the real world, at a lab in Wuhan, the Chinese city that saw the first outbreak of COVID-19. Fauci was a leader at NIH for decades and has previously denied the agency funded such research.
“If he did something that would be an act of treason, fundamentally, because tens of millions of people died from COVID – so he killed a lot more than serial killers and we know what we do to serial killers in Florida,” Renner said. “He needs to be held accountable.”
Other Republican gubernatorial hopefuls have slammed Fauci in a similar way.
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins called Fauci “one of the greatest mass murderers in American history.” Donalds has criticized Fauci as well, but noted former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, the frontrunner for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, has praised his efforts during the pandemic.
“In David Jolly’s Florida, frauds like Anthony Fauci are put in charge. Not in my Florida,” Donalds posted on X on Thursday.
The Aug. 18 primary is less than three weeks away.
Renner said Donalds is ignoring base Republican voters in his campaign, especially by refusing to debate him, Collins and conservative activist and investor James Fishback.
But he also acknowledged Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is term-limited, hasn’t helped consolidate a coalition to defeat Donalds, who is the GOP frontrunner who has been endorsed by Trump. DeSantis, while being critical of Donalds, hasn’t endorsed anyone else in the race.
“Well, the governor obviously could help in consolidating,” Renner said. “Nonetheless, we see momentum and that people want the adult in the room.”
On the campaign trail, Renner touts his record as House Speaker from 2022-2024, when he helped shepherd much of DeSantis’ agenda into law. He listed off several major bills – legalizing the permitless carry of firearms; banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy; universal vouchers – passed under his watch.
And Renner noted Donalds, a former state House member who won a U.S. House seat in 2020, was in Congress during that time.
“Byron Donalds was up getting on cable news networks, self-promoting to become governor, and that’s what he’ll do as governor for the next higher office,” Renner said. “We need somebody who’s actually going to be here to govern.”
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