It’s not exactly uncommon to suddenly hear a gubernatorial candidate make tall promises as election day draws nearer.
So when a California gubernatorial candidate mentions bringing Dr. Anthony Fauci to justice for the way COVID policy was handled, it might be easy to dismiss it as little more than standard campaign fare.
After all, Fauci was infamously pardoned by former President Joe Biden at the end of his lone term.
But for Steve Hilton, the Republican gubernatorial candidate leading the crowded pack in RealClearPolitics’ current polling, this doesn’t appear to be an empty threat.
Hilton spoke to conservative content creator Benny Johnson on Wednesday about his campaign, and he made sure to bring up Fauci:
Steve Hilton Declares He’ll Bring STATE CHARGES Against Dr. Fauci When Elected Governor of California
Fauci’s autopen pardon from Joe Biden DOES NOT apply at the state level.
“I haven’t forgotten, Dr Fauci.”
“I was the first to expose the Fauci gain of function experiments… pic.twitter.com/UnBSKdDtKk
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 29, 2026
After Johnson asked Hilton about how he would handle California’s bungled response to COVID — Johnson brought up the fact that a number of close Fauci associates have been facing indictments — the candidate didn’t mince words about demanding transcripts and any other relevant information pertaining to how California officials had handled the matter.
“But I want to also go back to Fauci,” Hilton said. “Remember that he’s got that pardon from Biden, doesn’t apply at the state level.”
And Hilton is 100 percent correct about that.
According to the Justice Department, presidents do not have the power to grant clemency for a state conviction.
“The President’s authority to grant clemency is limited to federal offenses and offenses prosecuted by the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia in the name of the United States in the D.C. Superior Court,” the DOJ explained. “An offense that violates a state law is not an offense against the United States.”
“A person who wishes to seek a pardon or a commutation of sentence for a state offense should contact the authorities of the state in which the conviction occurred.”
Given that dynamic, it appears that Fauci could still face some heat for his alleged misdeeds, despite the Biden pardon.
“And the point about Fauci that everyone needs to remember: it wasn’t just that he funded the lab in Wuhan,” Hilton said. “He commissioned the specific experiments. He commissioned them and pushed them through.”
“And he broke two sets of rules to do it: the Obama administration rules banning this kind of experimentation, and the new Trump administration rules. And so there’s a strong case for his prosecution on those grounds. And he’s gotten away with it, maybe at the federal level, doesn’t mean he gets away with it at the state level.
“I haven’t forgotten, Dr. Fauci.”
For Johnson, at least, Hilton’s promise to go after Fauci was as good a reason as any to get him into the California Governor’s Mansion: “Fauci has gotten away with his crimes for far too long. Elect Steve Hilton and finally hold him accountable.”
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