Federal law requires that NIH’s grant-review committee be composed of true peers—independent outside scientists knowledgeable about a given proposal’s subject matter—to assess the application on its scientific merit. Ignoring those laws, Dr. Fauci began populating these committees with his own PIs. Researchers who reliably supported Dr. Fauci’s orthodoxy watched their applications sail through the approval process. But scientists seeking to research ideas that departed from official doctrine encountered impenetrable obstacles.
