SENATE COMMITTEE VOTES TO HOLD FAUCI IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS

A Republican-controlled US Senate committee voted to hold Dr Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination repeatedly during a hearing into his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs voted to refer the case to the US Department of Justice for potential prosecution. Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, invoked his constitutional protection over 100 times whilst refusing to answer questions at the hearing. The vote fell along party lines, with Republicans supporting the contempt referral.

The committee is chaired by Republican Kentucky senator Rand Paul, who argued during the hearing that Fauci had no liability if he told the truth and claimed that a presidential pardon from Joe Biden had invalidated Fauci's Fifth Amendment protection. Fauci accused Paul of harbouring an "unhinged obsession" with him. Michigan senator Gary Peters, the ranking Democrat on the committee, criticised the process as "a one-sided investigation and a rushed process" that accomplishes nothing to advance public health and could harm future investigations. The Fifth Amendment protects individuals from being forced to incriminate themselves during investigations or testimony.

It remains unclear whether the Department of Justice will pursue prosecution following the referral. The evening before the vote, the US Department of Health and Human Services provided a copy of Fauci's phone to a Senate subcommittee. Fauci retired from his position in 2022 after leading the agency for 38 years.