Florida Keeps the Fauci Probe Alive Despite Biden’s Pardon

Florida Keeps the Fauci Probe Alive Despite Biden’s Pardon
Florida’s investigation into Anthony Fauci is testing the limits of presidential clemency—and the evidence behind a politically charged reckoning over COVID-19 policy.

Attorney General James Uthmeier says Florida’s probe can continue because Joe Biden’s pardon of Fauci does not shield him from state prosecution. Investigators are examining possible fraud, deceptive trade practices, public nuisance claims and alleged self-dealing connected to pandemic-era policies. The investigation remains ongoing, and no criminal wrongdoing has been established.

The conservative framing emphasizes the legal opening: Florida intends to use “every tool under Florida law” while determining whether Fauci profited from policies he helped promote. Uthmeier also pointed to Fauci’s repeated reliance on the Fifth Amendment before Congress, arguing that the pardon raises questions rather than resolving them. “I don’t know why you need a pardon if you didn’t do anything wrong,” he said.

The second account places greater emphasis on the allegations driving the inquiry. It reports Uthmeier’s claims that Fauci may have doubted the “safety and efficacy” of treatments and mandates while supporting them publicly, as well as his suggestion that book deals, awards or other financial gains could create legal exposure. “Where you have deception and injury and somebody is making a lot of money on the side, there needs to be accountability,” Uthmeier said.

Yet the attorney general stopped short of declaring Fauci guilty. Asked directly whether Fauci committed a crime, Uthmeier answered, “I can’t say that right now,” adding that investigators must follow “rules of procedure and evidence.” That contrast—strong accusations about harm and possible profiteering alongside an explicit admission that proof is incomplete—defines the probe’s central tension.