Dr. Anthony Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment during Senate Covid origins hearing
Dr. Anthony Fauci declined to answer questions at a Senate hearing on Covid-19 origins, citing his Fifth Amendment right, while Senator Rand Paul warned of possible repercussions.
Dr. Anthony Fauci told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday that he would not answer any questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right to avoid potential perjury prosecution. The decision came during a hearing on the origins of Covid-19 and the federal response to the pandemic.
Fauci said the hearing was prompted by Senator Rand Paul’s repeated calls for his prosecution and the public release of his personal journal, describing Paul’s focus on him as an "obvious obsession" that left him no choice but to rely on legal counsel. He added that he has testified before congressional committees more than 200 times during his four-decade tenure at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
When Paul continued to ask questions, Fauci responded each time, "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the 5th Amendment to the Constitution." After the questioning, Paul warned that the committee would consider "appropriate action" for what he called obstruction of a congressional investigation.
Fauci’s attorney, David Schertler, later told reporters that Fauci’s Fifth Amendment privilege was valid and that the circumstances of the hearing made continued cooperation impossible. He characterized Paul’s actions as a "pathological course of retribution" and denied the allegations against Fauci.
Democratic Committee member Sen. Gary Peters criticized the handling of the hearing, saying it could deter other scientific experts from public service and that it "does real damage" by turning a single individual into a scapegoat for broader governmental failures.
Sen. Paul previously suggested that Fauci could face perjury charges if he lied to Congress, noting that a preemptive pardon issued by former President Joe Biden does not preclude future legal challenges. Fauci has maintained that he committed no crime and has faced politically motivated threats of investigation.