Newly released diary entries from Dr. Anthony Fauci are giving Americans a rare look behind the curtain at the man who became the government face of the COVID 19 era, complete with media chatter, celebrity encounters and internal White House drama.

The records were released by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R Ky., just days before Fauci is set to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee after being subpoenaed by Paul.

The diary details Fauci's daily role during the pandemic through meetings, calls and personal notes, showing how quickly public health policy turned into a mix of politics, television management and celebrity culture.

For Americans who remember the lockdown years, the entries add another layer to a familiar story.

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The experts lectured the country about sacrifice while Washington insiders and media favorites appeared to orbit one another quite comfortably.

Early entries show Fauci describing a warmer relationship with President Donald Trump than many might expect.

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Fauci wrote that Trump repeatedly sent questions his way during White House meetings and called him "the smartest person in the world."

Trump also told Fauci, "We are counting on you," according to the diary.

Fauci later wrote that Trump appeared "enamored" with him as his national profile exploded during the pandemic.

That relationship did not stay smooth as the pandemic dragged on.

Fauci's notes describe mounting friction inside the White House, especially with then White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Fauci wrote that Meadows threatened to keep him off television and pushed him to soften his public messaging.

In one entry, Fauci described Meadows as "screaming" over comments Fauci had made in public.

The diary paints then White House communications director Alyssa Farah in a much more favorable light from Fauci's perspective.

In a May 2020 entry, Fauci said Farah admitted White House staff had been "holding me back" and that the situation had "gotten out of hand."

According to Fauci, Farah promised to begin approving his television requests again.

In Washington, access to a camera can apparently become its own form of oxygen.

Other communications figures did not fare as well in Fauci's private notes.

Fauci took sharp aim at then HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Michael Caputo, accusing him in crude terms of publicly backing his media appearances while privately blocking them.

The diary also shows how deeply television journalists figured into Fauci's pandemic world.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper appears repeatedly in the entries through calls, texts and even dinners at Tapper's Washington home.

Fauci wrote that Tapper privately checked whether a CNN interview had caused trouble for him with the White House.

When The Atlantic's Peter Nicholas suggested Fauci had been "humiliated" over a canceled Tapper interview,

Fauci responded with a blunt and vulgar dismissal in his notes.

CNN's Dana Bash also appears in the diary after Fauci's heated exchange with Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.

Fauci wrote that Bash texted him that he was "a better man" and relayed that Wolf Blitzer joked nobody would have blamed him for telling Jordan off.

The next day, Fauci said Bash texted him again, this time pointing him to a Vanity Fair headline mocking Jordan's performance at the hearing.

The cozy media club always seems to know when to send flowers and when to sharpen knives.

The entries also include billionaire Oracle co founder Larry Ellison, who became part of White House discussions about using Oracle technology during the pandemic. Fauci described Ellison as "a bit of a loose cannon."

Then there is the celebrity parade. Julia Roberts hosted Fauci on Instagram Live, sent him flowers and later presented him with an award, while Anna Wintour, Trevor Noah, Steph Curry, Sean Penn, Matt Damon and Lil Wayne all show up in the broader Fauci orbit.

The diary reads at moments less like a public health record and more like a guest list for the political class during crisis mode.

Americans were told to stay home, stay quiet and trust the science, while the science was apparently fielding celebrity messages.

The final notable cameo comes from the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors.

Fauci wrote that he hugged Hunter Biden, who joked the internet "would explode" if someone photographed them together because they were both "being attacked by the far right GOP."

Paul's release lands as Fauci prepares for another round of scrutiny on Capitol Hill.

For many conservatives, the diary will only fuel questions about whether pandemic leadership was driven by sober public health judgment, political instincts or a taste for fame.

The country is still living with the consequences of decisions made during those years.

Fauci's own words now offer a revealing glimpse into the power circles, media friendships and celebrity fascination surrounding one of the most controversial government figures of the pandemic.

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