The Washington Post reported that Dr. Fauci and his office received thousands of calls after a little-known animal rights group backed a false claim that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases funded inhumane beagle experiments.
Fauci's assistant had to stop answering calls for two weeks because they were so frequent.
In July, researchers on the study accidentally listed NIAID as a funder in a paper, according to the Post.
An image of beagles trapped in nets went viral.
The White Coat Waste Project had already "leveraged existing hostility among conservatives toward Fauci to further its cause" after the journal correction, the Post reported.
According to The Post, the group used the animosity against Fauci to push the idea that NIAID was funding the studies.
In October, the group posted a statement saying they were only advocating for animal rights.
The group said that it is possible to stand shoulder to shoulder with Dr. Fauci, but that they should be careful with him on the issue of beagle experiments.
The posts about Fauci probably had billions of views, according to a research director at the Institute for the Future who studies the flow of information online.
"He's been turned into a caricature of a mad scientist cooking up experiments to torture puppies, and it's kind of mind-bending." The Fauci-puppies meme is a phenomenon.
A group of bipartisan lawmakers sent a letter to Fauci on October 21 asking about animal testing funded by NIAID.
The White Coat Waste Project didn't respond to Insider's request for comment, but a spokesman told the Post that they still believe that NIAID funded the study.
The group's cause was pushed by using the anti-fascist sentiment.
He told the Post that it would be malpractice for them to not point the finger at the funders of the animal experiments.
