Fauci to face contempt vote after refusing to answer Covid questions in Congress

Fauci to face contempt vote after refusing to answer Covid questions in Congress A Senate committee chair has warned that former White House chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci could be held in contempt of Congress after he declined to answer questions during a contentious hearing on his handling of the Covid pandemic. The former top infectious disease expert invoked his constitutional protection against self‑incrimination more than 100 times during the testimony. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky remarked afterward, “I deliberation determination is simply a precise existent accidental that helium could beryllium prosecuted for that.” Paul has long accused Fauci of attempting to conceal the origins of the coronavirus and of supporting research at a laboratory in Wuhan, China, where some theories suggest the pandemic began. Fauci has denied any wrongdoing, and it remains uncertain whether he could face charges. The former director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases was questioned on Wednesday by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. He told the panel he was invoking the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on the advice of his attorneys. Invoking the Fifth Amendment itself is not a crime, and it is routinely used by defendants in criminal investigations at every level of the U.S. judicial system. President Donald Trump invoked the Fifth repeatedly in a deposition for a civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization in New York in 2022, before returning to the White House. Paul, a Kentucky senator, said the committee would vote next week on holding Fauci in criminal contempt of Congress. If approved, the resolution would go to the Senate floor, according to the BBC’s U.S. partner CBS. However, it would require 60 votes to pass—a long shot given that it would need Democrats to side with Republicans. If it were passed by the Senate, the measure would be referred to the chief official for the District of Columbia for possible prosecution. Before leaving office, President Joe Biden issued a pre‑emptive pardon to Fauci covering his actions between 2014 and 2025. Nevertheless, Fauci could still face charges for conduct after that period, including his actions toward the Senate committee. Paul, who chairs the panel, acknowledged the matter of Fauci’s pardon and whether it granted him immunity, stating it was “another ineligible question that the courts whitethorn person to determine