Overview
- Dr. Anthony Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer more than 100 questions during a roughly three-hour hearing on Wednesday after appearing under a Senate subpoena.
- Committee Chairman Rand Paul said he will hold a committee vote next week to move toward recommending Fauci be held in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify.
- Paul released about 1,100 pages of Fauci's pandemic-era diary entries before the hearing and used passages from them to press questions about the origins of COVID-19 and U.S. funding for research linked to Wuhan.
- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a state investigation into Fauci and Republicans have urged criminal referrals, while legal experts say the pardon issued in January 2025 and claims of Fifth Amendment privilege create unresolved and novel court questions.
- Democrats called the hearing politically driven and warned aggressive oversight could deter scientists from public service, while Republicans said the probe is needed to pursue accountability over pandemic decisions.