Overview of The Megyn Kelly Show Episode 1370
This episode centered on Anthony Fauci’s appearance before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, where he repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment instead of answering questions about COVID-era decisions, gain-of-function research, school closures, vaccine policy, and the origins of the pandemic. Megyn Kelly and guest Mike Davis argued that Fauci should be held accountable despite Biden’s pardon, then Kelly was joined by Rich Lowry and Charles C.W. Cooke for a broader discussion of Fauci’s credibility, media complicity during COVID, a newly surfaced Gavin Newsom affair profile, and a plagiarism/identity scandal involving a Cambridge professor.
Fauci’s Senate Hearing and Fifth Amendment Invocation
What happened
- Fauci refused to answer nearly every substantive question at the Senate hearing, repeatedly saying he would “decline to answer” based on the Fifth Amendment.
- Questions focused on:
- Funding risky research in China
- The Wuhan Institute of Virology
- Gain-of-function research
- Whether he misled the public about COVID policies and risks
- Senator Josh Hawley argued that Fauci could not properly invoke the Fifth because he had already received a sweeping pardon.
Key takeaway
- Kelly framed the hearing as a long-awaited attempt to force Fauci to account for his role in the pandemic response, while Fauci’s refusal was portrayed as evasive and contemptuous.
- The segment emphasized that Fauci was not just declining to answer major questions, but was doing so even in response to very basic procedural prompts.
Mike Davis on Pardon, Contempt, and Possible Legal Exposure
Davis’s main argument
- Davis argued Fauci’s Fifth Amendment claim should not stand if he has been pardoned for the relevant federal offenses.
- He said the Senate should:
- Hold a contempt vote
- Refer the matter to the Justice Department
- Potentially seek a court order compelling testimony
- In an extreme scenario, use the Capitol’s arrest authority to detain him until he testifies
Legal points Davis raised
- A pardon typically removes the fear of self-incrimination for the pardoned conduct.
- If Fauci claims possible state-level liability, Davis argued that either:
- He is still exposed and should be investigated by state authorities, or
- He acted within federal authority and therefore should not use state exposure as a shield
- Davis also argued that Fauci’s opening statement may have waived some Fifth Amendment protections.
Fauci, COVID Policy, and Public Trust
Major themes discussed by Kelly, Lowry, and Cooke
- Fauci was described as the central figure behind:
- School closures
- Mask mandates
- Six-foot distancing rules
- Vaccine messaging that overstated what the vaccines could do
- The panel said Fauci damaged public trust by presenting policies as settled science while privately expressing doubts.
Diary revelations discussed
- The transcript referenced Fauci’s work notes/diary entries as evidence that he:
- Was aware the virus may not have originated in a wet market
- Bragged about helping close schools in New York and Los Angeles
- Saw himself as unusually famous and influential
- Rich Lowry emphasized that the diaries contradicted Fauci’s public denials.
Public anger and personal fallout
- Kelly and guests repeatedly tied Fauci-era policies to real human loss:
- Elderly people dying alone
- Families separated from loved ones
- Children suffering from school closures and learning loss
- Rich Lowry shared a personal story about his mother in assisted living, illustrating the emotional damage of hospital and nursing-home restrictions.
Media Complicity and the “Rules for Thee” Problem
Core criticism
- The panel argued that mainstream media figures and celebrities helped sanitize Fauci’s image while public health officials imposed rules they often did not follow themselves.
- Examples mentioned:
- Fauci dining with Jake Tapper and his wife while publicly pushing restrictive COVID guidance
- Media headlines overstating study findings
- Public health messaging presented as certainty, not uncertainty
Charles C.W. Cooke’s view
- Cooke said Fauci operated less like a neutral scientist and more like a consequentialist propagandist—willing to say whatever he thought would produce compliance.
- He argued that this behavior, along with media amplification, helped create the public cynicism that fuels distrust in institutions today.
Gavin Newsom Affair Profile
What the segment covered
- Kelly turned to a Vanity Fair profile about Gavin Newsom’s alleged affair with Ruby Rippey Gibney, a former staffer’s spouse.
- The profile described a years-old relationship that included heavy drinking and sexual encounters, and it resurfaced as Newsom remains a possible future presidential contender.
Panel reaction
- Rich Lowry and Charles Cooke both suggested the scandal is unlikely to be politically fatal:
- It is old
- It involves consensual conduct as described
- Voters are less likely to treat personal misconduct as disqualifying than they once did
- Kelly noted that it may still blunt Newsom’s ability to moralize or attack political opponents on character grounds.
Cambridge Plagiarism Scandal and Identity Politics
The allegation
- The transcript discussed Cambridge professor Jason Arday, who has been accused of plagiarism in his PhD work.
- Kelly and the panel also questioned whether parts of his highly inspirational personal backstory were exaggerated or false, including claims about:
- Being nonverbal until age 11
- Learning to read/write unusually late
- Severe illness and miraculous athletic feats
What the panel said
- Cooke called it a broader fraud story, not just a plagiarism story.
- Lowry argued the university’s defense amounted to protecting him because he is Black and seen as a diversity success story.
- The discussion criticized academia for prioritizing identity and symbolism over scholarship and standards.
Other Notable Topics
Threats and political violence
- Kelly previewed behind-the-scenes documentary footage about a threat made against her after Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
- The discussion expanded into a broader point about political violence and the emotional pressure on conservative speakers and commentators.
Conservative movement and public appearances
- Kelly said the tour and documentary captured a fraught moment after Charlie Kirk’s death, when many on the right reconsidered public events and security risks.
- Rich Lowry and Cooke agreed the atmosphere changed significantly, but said conservatives should not be silenced.
Main Takeaways
- Fauci’s Senate testimony was treated as a symbolic moment of accountability that ended in refusal and defiance.
- The panel strongly argued that Fauci’s public-health legacy is inseparable from misinformation, overreach, and institutional damage.
- Media, academia, and public health elites were depicted as having protected themselves and their narratives rather than admitting uncertainty.
- Newsom’s old affair and the Cambridge plagiarism scandal were used as examples of how personal image, status, and identity politics can override scrutiny.