Newly released text messages from Anthony Fauci’s government-issued cellphone are providing more context to concerns that the first COVID vaccines may have been linked to higher miscarriage rates in early pregnancy — concerns that were discussed privately among top health officials even as they publicly urged pregnant women to get vaccinated.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a new text thread over the weekend that includes a January 2021 message from Dr. John Mascola, then-director of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
In the text, sent to Fauci on January 25, 2021, Mascola wrote: “I am corrected on pregnancy studies. Initial Studies avoid vaccination in first trimester due to possible fever and higher rates of miscarriage in first trimester.”
Johnson shared the message on social media, saying it provides “additional context” to Fauci’s earlier private conversations with former CDC director Rochelle Walensky and former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. In that thread, released last week, Fauci admitted that the second COVID shot could “theoretically” be associated with miscarriage in the first trimester.
“I asked around a bit more and another issue came up that you need to be aware of. Since many people have significant cytokines storm and fever after the second dose, this theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester,” Fauci wrote in a January 25-26, 2021, exchange.
Walensky responded that it was “definitely a good post, esp after dose two,” while Murthy said he had been hearing concerns about the mRNA vaccines causing “mutations” in developing babies.
Public Messaging vs. Private Concerns
The newly released texts raise questions about what public health officials knew at the time and what they chose to share with the public. Despite the private acknowledgment of possible miscarriage risks in the first trimester, federal health agencies continued to recommend COVID vaccination for pregnant women throughout 2021.
Mascola’s message appears to correct an earlier assumption about pregnancy studies, noting that initial studies deliberately avoided vaccinating women in the first trimester — a precaution based on concerns about fever and miscarriage rates.
Johnson is now calling on Mascola to cooperate with the investigations, saying, “I am hoping Dr. Mascola will fully cooperate by talking to us and clarifying what this text means.”
The senators have been investigating Fauci’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, including his communications with other health officials. The released texts are part of a broader trove of more than 34,000 text messages and 522 voicemails found on Fauci’s government-issued phone.
Neither Fauci nor Mascola has publicly commented on the latest text release. Requests for comment from NIAID and the CDC were not immediately answered.
This latest disclosure adds to growing scrutiny over the gap between private scientific discussions and public health guidance during the pandemic. Critics argue that pregnant women were not fully informed about potential risks, while supporters of the vaccination campaign point to the overwhelming evidence that COVID-19 itself posed a greater danger to pregnant women than the vaccines.
As the 2026 midterm elections approach, the ongoing release of Fauci’s texts is likely to keep the debate over pandemic decision-making in the political spotlight.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/08/17/faucis-phone-reveals-official-at-niaids-vaccine-research-center-warned-avoid-vaccination-in-first-trimester-in-2021/