Fauci Invokes Fifth Amendment in Senate Hearing Over COVID-19 Response
During a Senate hearing, Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, refusing to answer questions from Senator Rand Paul and Republicans who aimed to scrutinize his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Fauci stated that Paul's intention…
Miami Fort Lauderdale, FL, July 29, 2026 —
During a Senate hearing, Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, refusing to answer questions posed by Senator Rand Paul and other Republicans. The questioning focused on Dr. Fauci’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic response.
Dr. Fauci stated that Senator Paul’s objective was to elicit statements that could potentially lead to his prosecution. He cited Senator Paul’s public pledges and the release of his personal diary as evidence of this motive.
This instance marked the first time in his decades of congressional cooperation that Dr. Fauci, a prominent public health official, invoked the Fifth Amendment. Republicans, including Senator Paul, have persistently alleged that the National Institutes of Health funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Dr. Fauci has consistently denied this claim.
Despite a preemptive pardon reportedly issued by President Biden, Republican lawmakers argued that the hearing was still necessary to establish facts. They contended that making new false statements during the hearing could still result in perjury charges.
Story summarized from the original created by Nik Popli on time.com, see more information here.
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