The Gina Raimondo mention in Dr. Fauci’s journal

Dr. Anthony Fauci’s newly released confirm what had long been rumored in Rhode Island politics: Gina Raimondo came close to becoming President Biden’s secretary of health and human services before ultimately landing at the Commerce department.

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In a newly released journal entry from 2020, Fauci wrote that future Biden chief of staff Ron Klaincalled to tell him Raimondo would be appointed health and human services secretary, confirming that the Rhode Island governor was a leading contender for the key role in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Got call from Ron Klain tonight at 5:15 PM,” Fauci wrote in a Nov. 29, 2020, entry. “He wanted to fill me in on recent appointments (not announced yet) to make sure that I am OK with them.”

US Senator Rand Paulof Kentucky released more than 1,000 pages of Fauci’s journal entries this week ahead of today’s Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing, where lawmakers continue investigating the pandemic’s origins.

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The brief Raimondo reference won’t rank among the biggest revelations from Fauci’s journals, but it offers a fascinating glimpse into just how seriously she was being considered for one of the Biden administration’s most important cabinet posts.

Politico first reported on Dec. 2, 2020, that Raimondo had emerged as the frontrunner for the health and human services job. But the following day, she announced she would not be the nominee. The job ultimately went to Xavier Becerra.

A month later, Biden tapped her for the top job at Commerce.

This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.

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