Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
13h ago

Senate Panel Recommends Contempt for Fauci After He Invoked the Fifth

The Justice Department is reviewing the committee's referral as major legal questions about a presidential pardon and state probes remain unresolved.

Dr. Anthony Fauci appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the Capitol, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
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: 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 Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 29: Former NIH Director Anthony Fauci is sworn in before testifying to 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 Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times when he testified under subpoena on July 29, 2026 before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
  • The committee voted 8-5 on August 6, 2026 along party lines to recommend holding Fauci in contempt and sent its records directly to the Justice Department for possible prosecution.
  • The Justice Department has confirmed receipt of the referral and is reviewing the materials but has not filed any federal charges against Fauci.
  • Legal experts and Democrats say a key unresolved question is whether President Biden’s pre-departure pardon for federal acts through January 19, 2025 removes federal jeopardy enough to bar Fifth Amendment claims, while state investigations in several states remain unaffected by the federal pardon.
  • The dispute follows the public release of roughly 1,000 pages of Fauci’s pandemic-era diaries and highlights a partisan oversight fight that could shape how witnesses respond to congressional subpoenas and whether prosecutors will pursue contempt cases.