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2w ago

Senate Committee Prepares Contempt Vote After Fauci Pleads the Fifth 111 Times

The clash over testimony has pushed state prosecutors to open probes and could force courts to decide whether President Biden’s 2025 pardon removes Fauci’s need to refuse answers.

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WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 29: Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) delivers his opening statement as former NIH Director Anthony Fauci testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on July 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. Fauci was expected to be questioned about his diary entries during his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 29: David Schertler (C), the attorney for former NIH Director Anthony Fauci (R), is removed from the hearing room at the direction of committee chairman Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) during a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee July 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. Fauci declined to answer questions from the oommittee asserting his fifth amendment right during the hearing. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing last week instead of answering questions about his pandemic-era conduct.
  • Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul has scheduled a committee vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress, a step that could lead to a Justice Department referral for potential prosecution.
  • State attorneys general in Florida, Louisiana and Alabama have opened separate investigations using contemporaneous records and alleged discrepancies in testimony, and those probes are not blocked by a federal pardon.
  • Legal experts are split: the Biden pardon covers federal acts through Jan. 19, 2025, but commentators note it does not shield against future crimes like perjury or state charges, and some lawyers urge that Congress could compel testimony only by granting immunity.
  • Beyond legal fights, the dispute raises questions about government recordkeeping, the provenance of Fauci’s diaries and whether the risk of post-service exposure will deter scientists from government advisory roles.