WATCH: Rep. Ruiz defends Fauci against Republican attacks

Rep. Raul Ruiz, Democratic ranking member of the House subcommittee investigating the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, defended Dr. Anthony Fauci against GOP-led attacks in a hearing Monday. Republicans on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic alleged that Fauci improperly influenced scientists researching where the virus originated. They also claimed that some of Fauci’s former aides at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases tried to evade public records laws. “After 15 months, the select subcommittee still does not possess a shred of evidence to substantiate these extreme allegations that Republicans have levied against Dr. Fauci for nearly four years,” said Ruiz, who is also a medical doctor. The California Democrat also called on his colleagues to strengthen oversight of “potentially risky research domestically and abroad.” The hearing was the latest effort among Republicans to question the U.S. response to the pandemic, including how pandemic prevention plans were created and communicated. Monday's session was in part focused on the origins of the pandemic and the nation's role in virus research in China. There are a number of theories about how COVID's spread began, including a natural jump from animals to humans and a laboratory leak. Intelligence assessments on how the virus began are inconclusive. Subscribe: Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS NewsHour podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok:   / pbsnews   Twitter:   / newshour   Instagram:   / newshour   Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour