Senate Committee Votes to Hold Anthony Fauci in Contempt

The Republican-led Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will vote Thursday at 8:30 a.m. to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. The move follows a hearing last week where the former infectious disease expert invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times during questioning by Senator Rand Paul.

Senator Paul and the committee argue that a pardon issued by Joe Biden in January 2025, which covered acts from 2014 to 2025, renders Fauci ineligible for protections against self-incrimination. To avoid a full Senate vote where Republicans may lack the 60 votes required for passage, the committee intends to fast-track a criminal referral to the United States Department of Justice through Vice President JD Vance.

Fauci's legal representation maintains that his decision is on solid legal ground, citing risks of state-level prosecutions and potential false-statement investigations. The dispute has been intensified by the release of 1,000 pages of Fauci's personal diaries from 2019 to 2022; critics claim the documents reveal contradictions regarding school closures, while Fauci asserts the release was an attempt to intimidate him.

Republican lawmakers, including Senator Josh Hawley, criticized the use of the amendment, asserting that innocent people do not hide behind such protections. Donald Trump similarly questioned those who take the Fifth Amendment, though he has invoked the right himself during financial fraud investigations.