U.S. Senate panel votes to hold Fauci in contempt over COVID-19 origins testimony

Story Timeline
8 days · 4 summary articles
A U.S. Senate panel voted Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions during a July 29 hearing on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the resolution 8-5 along party lines, with Republicans accusing the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director of evading testimony .
Fauci, 85, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times during the hearing, prompting the committee’s action. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the panel’s chairman, said he would refer the contempt resolution directly to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution, bypassing a full Senate vote. Paul argued that Fauci had no legal risk due to a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden, stating, “Dr. Fauci faced no risk of federal prosecution. All he had to do was tell the truth” .
Democrats on the committee criticized the move, with Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., warning it could deter future witnesses from cooperating with congressional oversight. Peters said the vote “will make it harder to conduct future oversight” and that witnesses may cite it as justification for refusing to appear . Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., added that courts were unlikely to uphold the contempt charge, as Fauci had a “well-founded fear of self-incrimination” .
Republicans have accused Fauci of concealing information about U.S.-funded research in China, including “gain-of-function” studies, and of misleading Congress about the pandemic’s origins. Paul previously released thousands of pages of Fauci’s personal diary and announced that a subcommittee had obtained the phone Fauci used during the pandemic . Fauci has denied wrongdoing, calling Paul’s efforts an “unhinged obsession” and stating that the hearing was designed to entrap him .
The contempt resolution now moves to the Department of Justice, where U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro would need a grand jury indictment to pursue prosecution. Pirro has faced criticism from former President Donald Trump over her handling of other cases . If convicted, Fauci could face up to one year in prison for contempt of Congress .
Follow us for live European news
- 2
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
5 further sources not geolocated






