Senate Committee Holds Anthony Fauci in Contempt of Congress

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 8-5 on August 6, 2026, to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. The resolution follows a July 29 hearing where Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent more than 100 times while questioned on pandemic-era policies, vaccine mandates, and the origins of COVID-19.

Committee Chairman Rand Paul argued that a pre-emptive pardon granted to Fauci by former President Joe Biden in January 2025 rendered the Fifth Amendment defense inapplicable. Paul characterized the refusal to testify as obstruction and a felony, announcing that the committee would hand-deliver the contempt referral to the U.S. Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Conversely, Democrats, led by Senator Gary Peters, condemned the vote as a "one-sided" and "rushed" process that sets a damaging precedent for future witnesses.

Parallel to the congressional action, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, joined by attorneys general from Louisiana and West Virginia, issued a subpoena to Fauci on August 6. This state-level probe investigates allegations of "self-dealing" and personal profit from pandemic guidance, citing Fauci's personal diaries to suggest he prioritized financial gain over public safety. Additionally, Senator Ron Johnson announced that his subcommittee obtained a digital clone of Fauci's iPhone from the Department of Health and Human Services to uncover records Fauci declined to discuss during his testimony.