Fauci pleads the Fifth over 100 times at Senate COVID hearing

Fauci Refuses to Answer a Single Question

Anthony Fauci appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday but declined to answer any questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right to refuse to answer questions about the COVID-19 pandemic and its origins, saying he was doing so on the advice of his attorneys.

After making a brief opening statement in which he accused @RandPaul of an "unhinged obsession with me," Fauci did not answer any questions during the hearing, citing his Fifth Amendment right. He said he was invoking the Fifth Amendment to avoid the possibility that Republicans on the Senate committee might try to prosecute him for perjury.

Paul said Fauci's use of the Fifth Amendment was "unsupported" since former President Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci before leaving office. Fauci, however, argued he could still be in trouble if he made any statements that opened new lines of investigation for the committee.

Paul questioned Fauci about "dangerous" research he says the U.S. government funded in China, as well as "gain-of-function" research Paul says was conducted on monkeypox at Fort Detrick, an Army installation in Frederick, Maryland. Gain-of-function research has been a primary focus for those who believe COVID spread because of a lab leak.

Contempt Vote Scheduled for August 5

By the end of the hearing, after Fauci declined to answer a single question from lawmakers, @RandPaul announced that he would convene a vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt for his refusal. He scheduled the vote for August 5.

Paul warned Fauci during the hearing that it is "against the law to obstruct an investigation of Congress" and suggested he could face "repercussions" for refusing to testify. Paul also ordered security to remove one of Fauci's lawyers from the room after he attempted to speak following Paul's warning.

Democrats on the committee came to Fauci's defense, painting the hearing as a Republican-led effort to entrap Fauci into committing perjury, and used their time to focus criticism on the Trump administration's health care policies.

STAT News: Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment in declining to answer questions before Senate panel | Axios: Fauci faces contempt vote after invoking Fifth Amendment in Senate hearing | NBC News: Anthony Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment right, calls Rand Paul 'unhinged'