Some Republicans seem to be looking past the midterm elections already and making plans for what they would like to do after retaking the majority in one or both chambers of Congress. Personally, I try to discourage this sort of talk because I’m superstitious by nature and there’s an old rule about counting chickens that have not yet emerged from their shells. But one Republican who appears to be bristling with confidence is Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. If the GOP retakes the Senate Majority, Paul will end up being the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. In that role, he’s already planning to hold some hearings and investigate the origins of the COVID pandemic and the government’s response to it. And there’s one person who will reportedly be at the top of his list of witnesses to call. That would be Doctor Anthony Fauci, arguably the face of the federal government’s efforts to “slow the spread” and everything else we’ve heard over the past few years. And it sounds like Dr. Fauci will have a lot of explaining to do. (The Hill)

Congressional Republicans are eagerly floating investigations into Anthony Fauci and the Biden administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic if they win back control of the House or Senate in the midterm elections.

“One way or another, if we are in the majority, we will subpoena his records and he will testify in the Senate under oath,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who is in line to become the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee if Republicans win the majority with the panel’s current ranking member, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), retiring.

Republicans have not been shy about launching probes into the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic, focusing on the origins of the virus and whether the federal government — and by extension, Fauci — helped fund controversial research that might have played a role in its creation.

I’ll confess that I got a kick out of the title that the editors at The Hill chose for their coverage of this story. “GOP plots Fauci probe after midterms.” “Plots?” They make it sound as if congressional hearings are suddenly going to become something ominous and illegitimate. Oh, well. I suppose when Republicans aren’t “pouncing” they must be “plotting.”

If the GOP takes back either the Senate Majority Leader’s office or the Speaker’s gavel (or both), we will almost certainly be treated to a whole host of new hearings, but not the sort we’ve grown used to seeing under the Democrats. This is something I’ve been sounding warnings about ever since Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer were put back in charge. Always be careful what you wish for. Any tactic that you employ today will serve as a precedent for your opponents when they inevitably regain power.

The Democrats have spent Biden’s entire term thus far holding all manner of hearings, but only going after Trump or Republicans. Calling into question the actions of any of their political allies or favored demographic groups couldn’t be allowed because it would run counter to the narrative. But if they return to the minority in either chamber, the shoe will be on the other foot.

And there will be plenty of compelling subjects for the Republicans to look into. Yes, Fauci is one hot topic. What exactly was going on in the Wuhan Institute of Virology prior to the initial outbreak? And did our own government – specifically groups associated with Fauci in some cases – play any role in the creation of the novel coronavirus? And where did all of the trillions of dollars appropriated to deal with the pandemic wind up going? How much of it was misused and spent on things having nothing to do with the pandemic? And how much of it was simply stolen via fraud because the appropriations were handled in such a rushed, slapdash manner?

But there are other people and topics of interest that could do with some congressional probing. What about Hunter Biden and his dealings with China? (And by extension, “the Big Guy’s” involvement.) How did China wind up being able to purchase millions of gallons of oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve? And how did so much Chinese technology wind up in our military equipment to the point that they may now be able to disrupt our tactical weapons communications?

There could be one semi-permanent special committee set up to look into nothing but matters related to China. And it could stretch on for at least the next two years, if not considerably longer. A lot of people might start looking quite nervous as they wait to see if their names are called. But the Democrats have brought all of this on themselves. They decided to play completely partisan hardball once they took power this time. So don’t come complaining to us if the GOP turns around and does the same.