Fauci refuses to testify before second Senate panel after contempt vote

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Friday declined a request to appear voluntarily before a second Senate panel after the Senate Homeland Security Committee, controlled by Republicans, voted along party lines to hold him in contempt. A lawyer for the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases wrote to Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, arguing that compelling Fauci to testify would constitute improper political harassment.

During a July 29 hearing on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right 100 times, leading to the August 6 contempt vote and a referral to the Justice Department to assess whether his constitutional rights were properly exercised.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul, the committee chairman who supported the contempt finding, said the Fifth Amendment claim was irrelevant because Joe Biden had issued a preemptive pardon for Fauci, eliminating the risk of prosecution. Paul has previously accused Fauci of misleading the public about the pandemic and has called for criminal charges.

Sen. Johnson, chair of the subcommittee on investigations, had sought a separate congressional inquiry into Fauci’s role in the pandemic response, including questions about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.