“Put Fauci In Jail”: Meghan McCain Reacts After Release Of Texts Raising Theoretical Vaccine–Miscarriage Concern

Commentator Meghan McCain reacted angrily after senators released text messages attributed to Dr. Anthony Fauci and other public-health officials that discussed a theoretical link between COVID-19 vaccination and miscarriage. The messages—shared online by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)—capture an early, precautionary discussion among Drs. Fauci, Rochelle Walensky and Vivek Murthy in January 2021.

"PUT FAUCI IN JAIL!!!! (I am a woman who was pregnant and had a miscarriage during Covid),"

McCain posted on X, adding in a follow-up:

"This is not hyperbole – handcuff, perp walk and put Fauci in a jail cell for the rest of his life."

One of the messages attributed to Fauci reads:

"I asked around a bit more and another issue that came up that you need to be aware of. Since many people have significant cytokine storm and fever after the 2nd dose, this theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester."

According to the documents released by Senators Johnson and Paul, Dr. Walensky responded that it was a "definitely a good point, esp after dose two," and Dr. Murthy noted he had heard concerns that the mRNA could cause mutations in a developing fetus. Murthy also referenced a World Health Organization statement about limited data for the Moderna vaccine in pregnant people at that time.

Fauci's replies in the exchange stressed weighing risks and benefits: he noted that pregnant people were excluded from initial vaccine trials but that more than 10,000 pregnant people were vaccinated after the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and that "no issues have arisen" in the early post-EUA data cited by officials.

The released texts are part of a larger cache—reported to include at least 34,000 messages—between the three public-health officials. Those particular messages were exchanged in January 2021. Over the following months, more safety data accumulated and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance in August 2021 recommending COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant people.

In February 2026 the CDC reiterated its position:

"COVID-19 vaccination offers the greatest benefit if you are at higher risk for severe illness, including if you are pregnant," and "COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy has not been linked to increased health risks for pregnant women or babies. It helps reduce the risk for severe illness from COVID-19."

Public-health reviews and follow-up studies in 2021 found no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination increased the risk of spontaneous abortion; those conclusions informed later guidance advising vaccination during pregnancy.

Sen. Johnson posted that his oversight effort is continuing after obtaining documents and Fauci's government-issued phone. The disclosures and McCain's forceful response have renewed debate and political scrutiny around early pandemic communications and how preliminary scientific concerns were discussed publicly.