Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) declared Wednesday that his committee will vote next week to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress, escalating a long-running feud after the former pandemic chief repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment rights during a contentious hearing.
“That’s a vote that will happen in committee next week. It will be in contempt of Congress,” Paul told reporters following the session. The Kentucky Republican, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, argued that Fauci’s presidential pardon from Joe Biden effectively stripped him of any legal basis to remain silent.
“We believe that with his … immunity from criminal liability, that he didn’t need to hide behind the Fifth Amendment and that maybe the Fifth Amendment doesn’t attach when you have a pardon in place,” Paul said. “That’ll be a legal question, but the question on contempt will be voted on, and then there’s a question of whether or not the Department of Justice will take that up.”
Long-running battle over COVID origins
Paul has been one of Fauci’s most vocal critics, accusing the scientist of misleading Congress about funding research in China that Paul claims contributed to the pandemic’s emergence. Those allegations formed the basis of Paul’s 2023 book, Deception: The Great Cover-Up, which features Fauci’s image on its cover.
“I’ve recommended before for his criminal prosecution, and neither the Biden DOJ nor the Trump DOJ have taken it up,” Paul said. “All I can do is recommend prosecution. I can’t initiate prosecution.”
Fauci, who served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly four decades, sat silently through much of the hearing, repeating a single phrase each time he was asked a question: “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.”
GOP lawmakers challenge Fauci’s legal shield
Several Republican members argued that the pardon Fauci received from Biden in the final days of his administration nullified his Fifth Amendment protections. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) directly challenged Fauci during the hearing, saying, “You don’t have any rights under the Fifth Amendment because you’ve been pardoned, as you very well know. You know that. Your lawyers sitting behind you, now shifting nervously in your chairs, they know it.”
The hearing came amid broader GOP scrutiny of Fauci’s role in the pandemic response. Earlier this year, Paul ordered Fauci’s lawyer removed from a previous session, and the Ohio Senator Drops F-Bomb on Fauci, Cites Mask Arrest in COVID Hearing, highlighting the often explosive nature of these exchanges.
Democrats cry foul
Committee Democrats pushed back forcefully, accusing Paul of conducting a partisan vendetta rather than a legitimate oversight inquiry. Ranking member Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said in his opening statement that the hearing amounted to “relitigating the past” and warned that “one-sided investigations designed to validate pre-determined conclusions do not serve the American people, who sent us to actually uncover the truth and solve problems.”
Peters had previously accused Paul of pursuing a personal grudge against Fauci rather than conducting genuine oversight. The partisan divide was on full display as Democrats questioned the motives behind the contempt push.
Paul’s move marks the latest chapter in a years-long campaign against Fauci that has drawn praise from former President Donald Trump, who praised Paul ahead of the hearing. Whether the full Senate or the Justice Department will act on any contempt citation remains uncertain, but Paul made clear he intends to press forward regardless.
