The executive order, which covers actions dating back to January 1, 2014, ostensibly shields Fauci from allegations tied to U.S.-funded gain-of-function research in addition to his work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It also protects him from retribution related to the theory, still unconfirmed, that COVID-19 "leaked" from a lab in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus was first identified, and that the U.S. government had knowledge of this at the time.

Source: Newsweek