Trump Backs DOJ Prosecution of Anthony Fauci for Contempt

President Donald Trump stated on August 6 that he is open to the Justice Department bringing criminal charges against former health official Anthony Fauci for contempt of Congress. The move follows an 8-7 party-line vote by the Republican-led Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to hold Fauci in contempt after he invoked his Fifth Amendment right during a hearing on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Committee Chairman Senator Rand Paul intends to bypass the full Senate and personally deliver a criminal referral to the Justice Department. Paul argues that a preemptive pardon issued by President Joe Biden on his final day in office makes Fauci's refusal to testify unsupported.

Trump justified the potential prosecution by citing the previous contempt convictions of his aides Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro under Attorney General Merrick Garland. In response, Fauci's lawyer, David Schertler, characterized the committee's vote as a crude political stunt and an abuse of power.