Reason has a deep dive into the allegations against Fauci by Diana Andrade aka Diana Rodriguez that she now says she was paid to make about a man she has never met. The guys who got her to do it were Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman.
For those lucky enough to be unfamiliar with the exploits of Wohl and Burkman, they are pro-Trump provocateurs who've found a niche drumming up fake sexual harassment allegations that end comically badly, including against former FBI Director Robert Mueller (who turned out to have been serving jury duty the day he was supposed to have committed the assault) and Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren (the press conference for which took place on Burkman's stoop, and whose supposed victim was a 24-year-old Marine).
Andrade, who now regrets her accusation, taped a call with the two provacateurs in order to expose them. Reason author Nancy Rommelmann described the part of the tape in which Andrade discusses the money she received:
She says she's uncomfortable with the money they gave her, some guy showing up, claiming to be a lawyer, with his face hidden by a cap.
"Is he even a real lawyer?" she asks. "I looked him up."
"Yeah, he's a real lawyer," Wohl says. "He's a good lawyer," and then goes on to brag about that lawyer's White House connections.
It's possible that a White House–connected lawyer might have hand-delivered five figures in cash to Andrade in Los Angeles. It's also possible Wohl made up the whole thing. But she says she did get the money, and Wohl and Burkman are clearly eager to imply that they are intimate with Team Trump.
What Rommelman didn’t mention is that the “White House-connected lawyer” was supposedly Charles Harder, Trump’s personal and campaign attorney.
Reporter Zachary Petrizzo, of the Daily Dot, which had previously debunked the sexual assault claim, tweeted a snippet of the discussion that explicitly names Harder as the attorney.
I’m not sure whether it’s Burkman or Wohl who’s speaking but in the audio, one says Harder “coordinates everything for the White House in L.A. Anything in L.A. he handles.”
The other guys later says, Harder’s “the one who brought you the cash, correct? And he did it personally?”
Andrade replies, “I guess. I mean, I don’t know.”
Personally, I find it hard to believe Harder would play bagman for such a scheme. But I also wonder why Burkman and Wohl would want to falsely implicate him.
In any event, the audio is now out there and we can let the Trumpers explain themselves.