The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will vote Thursday on whether to hold former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci in contempt after he repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment while testifying under subpoena.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced that the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will vote Thursday on whether to hold former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress.
Paul, who chairs the committee, scheduled the vote after Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during an appearance before the panel, according to The Washington Post.
The committee also released a resolution authorizing “the President of the Senate to certify the report of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate regarding the refusal of Dr. Anthony S. Fauci to answers questions pertinent to the subject under inquiry before the Committee as required by Committee subpoena.”
Fauci appeared under subpoena but declined to answer the committee’s questions by invoking his constitutional protection against self-incrimination.
Paul said he ruled during the hearing that the Fifth Amendment did not apply because former President Joe Biden had granted Fauci a pardon in January 2025. Biden also pardoned retired Gen. Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and several other people.
“Dr. Fauci appeared under subpoena and invoked the Fifth Amendment to refuse answering questions,” Paul said in a statement. “During the hearing, I ruled that the Fifth Amendment did not apply because of the pardon, and that Fauci had waived any remaining privilege by giving opening testimony. I ordered him to answer and warned him about contempt, yet he still refused.”
Paul also confirmed the scheduled vote in a post on X.
“Despite having a pardon from President Biden spanning more than a decade, Fauci refused to answer a single question, even though he knew he couldn’t be charged for crimes during that period,” Paul said.
During his opening statement at Fauci’s hearing, Paul accused the former federal health official of avoiding responsibility for policies imposed during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Instead of an apology, you have for years avoided responsibility regarding the lockdowns,” Paul said. “You argue that you did not personally issue every lockdown order, close every school, or impose every mandate.”
Paul also challenged Fauci’s public statements about the origins of the virus and alleged that he had access to evidence pointing toward a laboratory origin.
“Fauci promoted the theory that the virus arose naturally, while privately he was well aware of a mountain of evidence suggesting the virus originated in the lab,” Paul said.
“The American people deserve answers,” he continued. “The American people deserve to know why dangerous research was funded by NIAID in a totalitarian country, in a lab that lacked acceptable safety standards.”
If the committee approves the contempt resolution Thursday, the matter would move forward through the Senate’s process for addressing Fauci’s refusal to answer questions under subpoena.
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