Fauci Invokes Fifth Amendment, Refuses to Answer in Heated Senate Covid Hearing
Former top US health official Dr Anthony Fauci repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a contentious Senate hearing on Wednesday, declining to answer questions about the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. Fauci stated that he feared Republican lawmakers would use his testimony to pursue perjury charges against him.
The Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution protects individuals from being compelled to testify against themselves in criminal cases. Taking the Fifth is not an admission of guilt but a legal safeguard against coercion and unfair burden of proof.
Fauci, 85, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for nearly four decades, said he was acting on the advice of his attorneys. 'Although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government... I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the constitution to refrain from answering your questions,' he told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security.
Republican Senator Rand Paul, who chaired the hearing, has long accused Fauci of concealing information about the pandemic. Paul continued questioning Fauci despite the refusal, repeatedly inviting him to apologise. The senator announced that the committee would vote next week on a resolution to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress.
Fauci noted that Paul had an 'obvious obsession' with prosecuting him. 'The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something - anything - that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, behind bars,' Fauci said.
Fauci had received a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden covering his actions between 2014 and 2025, but could still face charges for actions after that date, including before the Senate committee, as well as state or local charges.
During the hearing, one of Fauci's lawyers, David Schertler, was removed from the room after trying to interject during Paul's questioning. Schertler called it 'outrageous' for Paul to 'exclude his counsel for making a legitimate legal point', and described the proceeding as 'baseless and vindictive'.
Republicans on the committee questioned Fauci about shifting health guidance during the pandemic, which changed as officials learned more about the disease. Fauci has previously defended his policy positions.
Separately, President Donald Trump posted on social media calling Fauci 'crazy' and reiterating his belief that the virus originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. 'I said from the beginning that the Virus came from the Wuhan Laboratory in China. Fauci strongly disagreed, always trying to protect China,' Trump said.
The origins of the pandemic remain a subject of debate. The World Health Organization has stated that the natural-origin theory - which holds that the virus spilled over from animals to humans - is the most likely explanation. Senator Paul and other Republicans have promoted the lab-leak theory, suggesting that the virus escaped from the Wuhan Institute.
