(The Center Square) – More questions are being raised about Dr. Anthony Fauci after the University of Illinois gave him an award for ethics.

The U of I had Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, present Fauci with the Paul H. Douglas Award for ethics in government last month in Washington.

According to U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky, new information from a Marine whistleblower has tied Fauci to the research in China that may have led to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Matt Dean, senior fellow for Healthcare Policy Outreach at The Heartland Institute, thinks Fauci will be on the hot seat for a while.

“If that’s truly where this thing ends up, then I think the last thing Tony Fauci should get is an ethics award,” Dean said.

Dean added that people previously wondered why Paul’s questioning of Fauci was so aggressive.

“Everybody should just pump the brakes on any kind of award. I think right now we’re just starting to get some of the tip of the iceberg in terms of accountability for what happened during the pandemic,” Dean said.

Fauci seemed to be integrated into every facet of the pandemic as his profile rose, Dean said. He said Fauci rejected several Cabinet positions through several administrations and positioned himself as a gatekeeper.

Dean was not surprised that University of Illinois donors, alumni and community have not publicly pushed back about the school presenting Fauci with an award for ethics in government.

“If, perhaps, he was on the opposite side of that issue, if he was one of the people who was canceled, one of the people he basically blackballed, that was receiving an award, I bet some of those same donors may actually have a problem with that,” Dean said.