A leading Republican contender for California governor is vowing to do what Washington refused to do: hold Dr. Anthony Fauci legally accountable for his role in the COVID-19 debacle.
As reported by Western Journal, Steve Hilton, who currently tops a crowded GOP field in RealClearPolitics polling, is making Faucis record a central part of his law-and-order message as the campaign accelerates. While many voters have grown accustomed to sweeping promises in the final stretch of an election, Hiltons pledge is rooted in a specific legal argument: former President Joe Bidens controversial pardon of Fauci does not shield the former health official from state-level prosecution. That distinction, often overlooked in national media coverage, could prove pivotal if a governor is willing to test it.
Hilton laid out his case during an interview Wednesday with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, where he tied Californias disastrous pandemic response to the broader failures of the federal COVID establishment. Johnson pressed Hilton on how he would address what he called the states bungled response to the virus, noting that a number of close Fauci associates have been facing indictments. In response, Hilton pledged to demand full transparency from Sacramento, including transcripts and any other relevant information about how state officials coordinated with Fauci and his network during the crisis.
But I want to also go back to Fauci, Hilton said, making clear that his focus would not stop at Californias bureaucracy. Remember that hes got that pardon from Biden, doesnt apply at the state level. On that point, legal precedent is firmly on Hiltons side, despite the Beltway habit of treating a presidential pardon as a universal shield.
According to the Justice Department, presidents cannot extend clemency to cover violations of state law, a constitutional limit that progressives often ignore when it conflicts with their preferred narratives. The Presidents authority to grant clemency is limited to federal offenses and offenses prosecuted by the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia in the name of the United States in the D.C. Superior Court, the DOJ explained. An offense that violates a state law is not an offense against the United States.
The department further clarifies that state crimes must be addressed by state authorities, not the White House. A person who wishes to seek a pardon or a commutation of sentence for a state offense should contact the authorities of the state in which the conviction occurred. In other words, if a state can credibly allege that Faucis actions violated its laws, Bidens pardon would offer no refuge.
Hilton clearly intends to test that boundary, particularly on the origins of the pandemic and the controversial research that preceded it. And the point about Fauci that everyone needs to remember: it wasnt just that he funded the lab in Wuhan, Hilton said. He commissioned the specific experiments. He commissioned them and pushed them through.
The candidate went further, accusing Fauci of deliberately bypassing safeguards put in place by both Democratic and Republican administrations. And he broke two sets of rules to do it: the Obama administration rules banning this kind of experimentation, and the new Trump administration rules. And so theres a strong case for his prosecution on those grounds. And hes gotten away with it, maybe at the federal level, doesnt mean he gets away with it at the state level.
Hiltons closing words on the subject were pointed and personal, signaling that this is more than a passing campaign line. I havent forgotten, Dr. Fauci. For many conservatives who watched unelected health bureaucrats shutter businesses, close churches, and disrupt childrens education, that sentiment reflects a broader demand for accountability that Washington has been unwilling to provide.
Johnson, for his part, framed Hiltons stance as a litmus test for serious leadership in a state long dominated by progressive rule. Fauci has gotten away with his crimes for far too long. Elect Steve Hilton and finally hold him accountable. Whether California voters are ready to break with the states entrenched liberal establishment remains to be seen, but Hilton is betting that a promise to challenge federal overreach, expose bureaucratic misconduct, and reassert state sovereignty will resonate far beyond the usual campaign rhetoric.
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