Dr. Anthony Fauci privately warned that COVID vaccines could trigger miscarriages in early pregnancy while publicly assuring Americans the shots were safe for expectant mothers — and the texts proving it are just the first drop from a trove of 34,000 messages now in Senate hands.

The stake is straightforward: federal officials drove mandates and social pressure that put pregnant women in a corner, while their private chats reflected uncertainty they never shared with the public. If the man running the response was worried about cytokine storms and first-trimester miscarriage, families deserved to hear that before the government told them to roll up their sleeves.

Sens. Rand Paul and Ron Johnson released the first batch of texts Monday, pulled from Fauci's government-issued phone by the Department of Health and Human Services. The exchange dates to late January 2021, days after Biden took office and weeks after the Pfizer and Moderna shots received emergency authorization.

It started when Surgeon General nominee Dr. Vivek Murthy asked Fauci and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky whether they had data on vaccinating pregnant women at different stages of pregnancy. Walensky's reply, according to the Daily Caller, was blunt: "Hi Vivek, my understanding is that this is all a data free." She noted the CDC had started collecting surveillance data through its V-safe monitoring system but had nothing conclusive.

Fauci initially said there was no reason to worry. Two hours later, he changed course. "I asked around a bit more and another issue came up that you need to be aware of," Fauci wrote. "Since many people have significant cytokines storm and fever after the 2nd dose, this theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester."

Walensky replied: "Definitely a good point, esp after dose two." Murthy added that he had been hearing concerns about mRNA causing mutations in the developing fetus and called Fauci's point "really helpful."

A day later, Fauci acknowledged the drug companies had not enrolled pregnant women in clinical trials. "In any vaccine in which data are lacking in pregnant women one must weigh the potential risks against the benefits," he wrote, noting that 10,000 pregnant women had been vaccinated with "no issues" so far.

The public line was different. On February 3, 2021 — days after the private exchange — Fauci told the public the FDA had found "thus far no red flags" about pregnant women taking the vaccine. By April, Biden's COVID Task Force recommended pregnant women get vaccinated at a nationally broadcast press conference. By August, the CDC formally recommended it.

CBS News framed the texts as officials "discussing how to weigh the potential risks against the benefits" and noted that multiple studies since have found no increased miscarriage risk. The Daily Caller highlighted the gap between private uncertainty and public reassurance. HotAir raised the question of whether a safety signal was detected and buried, citing a rebuttal by OB/GYN Dr. James Thorp to a key NEJM paper used to justify the CDC's recommendation.

The broader context matters. When Republicans retook the Senate in 2025, Paul took the gavel of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee and began compelling records. Johnson gained the chair of its investigative subcommittee. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. started turning over documents — including the 34,000 texts and 522 voicemails from Fauci's phone. Last year, Kennedy removed the CDC's recommendation that pregnant women and healthy children get COVID vaccines.

Fauci, Murthy, and Walensky did not reply to requests for comment from the Daily Caller.

This is the first release. Johnson's office says it is still combing through the full cache. The question hanging over Washington: how many other risks were discussed in private while the public got the polished version — and who will answer for it?