{"id":7113,"date":"2026-08-06T14:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=7113"},"modified":"2026-08-06T14:00:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:00:10","slug":"senate-panel-votes-to-hold-fauci-in-contempt-of-congress-over-covid-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=7113","title":{"rendered":"Senate panel votes to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress over Covid hearing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"60b0f44f-abe6-4cad-b247-174bf20a67f8\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man in a suit looks off to the side while seated\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/a9df179139fc7c65b76262e4fcf2edf9e00f88da\/332_105_3058_2446\/master\/3058.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"371.9391759319817\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Anthony Fauci, former director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a Senate committee hearing on 29 July 2026 in Washington DC.<\/span> Photograph: Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"60b0f44f-abe6-4cad-b247-174bf20a67f8\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Anthony Fauci, former director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a Senate committee hearing on 29 July 2026 in Washington DC.<\/span> Photograph: Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">US Senate panel votes to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress over Covid hearing<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Anthony Fauci invoked fifth amendment dozens of times to parry hostile Republican inquisition over Covid response<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/live\/2026\/aug\/06\/senators-anthony-fauci-contempt-of-congress-michiganu-democrats-republicans-trump-politics-latest-news-updates\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">US politics live \u2013 latest updates<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A Republican-controlled US Senate committee voted to hold Dr <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/anthony-fauci\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Anthony Fauci<\/a> in contempt of Congress after the veteran public health official repeatedly pleaded the fifth amendment to parry a hostile inquisition into his stewardship of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Fauci, the former director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Niaid), who led the agency for 38 years before retiring <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/health-shots\/2022\/08\/22\/930873868\/fauci-to-step-down-in-december-after-decades-of-public-service\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">in 2022<\/a>, gave the same response to dozens of questions while refusing to give clarifying answers during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/29\/anthony-fauci-senate-hearing-covid\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a tense hearing last week<\/a>, citing his constitutional protections.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"4684f4de-2cb6-417c-a850-ebb4ea2b3475\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-2 | 2\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/29\/anthony-fauci-senate-hearing-covid\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Fauci invokes fifth amendment and declines to testify in Senate Covid hearing<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The Senate homeland security and government affairs committee voted in favor of referring a potential criminal case against Fauci to the US Department of Justice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The committee is chaired by Republican Kentucky senator Rand Paul, whom Fauci last week accused of having an \u201cunhinged obsession\u201d with him as he refused to answer questions at the hearing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Paul insisted on Thursday that he wasn\u2019t trying to entrap Fauci. \u201cHe had no liability if he told the truth,\u201d Paul said during the hearing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">But top Democrats criticized the Republicans-led process. Michigan senator Gary Peters, the ranking Democrat on the Senate panel, argued that the drive to subpoena Fauci, and now to hold him in contempt, accomplished nothing to advance public health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Paul\u2019s work amounts to \u201ca one-sided investigation and a rushed process \u2026 that could harm our ability to conduct future investigations\u201d, said Peters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">While a contempt referral must typically be approved by the full Senate after a congressional committee, this would likely require a 60-vote majority \u2013 requiring Democratic support.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Paul acknowledged this standard path on Wednesday, but said he did not \u201cwant to waste time\u201d moving the matter to a vote of the full Senate. He previously suggested during a Fox News interview that \u200bhe could send the referral \u200bdirectly to the justice department, with a legal brief.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The fifth amendment is enshrined in the US constitution as a protective measure intended to save individuals from being forced to incriminate themselves when under investigation or asked to provide testimony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The evening before the vote, it emerged that the US Department of Health and Human Services had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/06\/senate-anthony-fauci-phone-contempt-of-congress\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">provided a copy of Fauci\u2019s phone<\/a> to a Senate subcommittee. \u201cHopefully, this device will address many of the questions he refused to answer at last week\u2019s hearing,\u201d Republican Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, the subcommittee\u2019s chair, wrote on social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Fauci, 85, who was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jan\/20\/biden-pardons-fauci-milley\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">pardoned by Joe Biden<\/a> at the end of his presidency, declined to answer questions after accusing Paul of harboring a goal of \u201cembarrassing and intimidating me\u201d and of putting him \u201cbehind bars\u201d because of his leading role in urging widespread restrictions, including masking and social distancing, to combat the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The senator has long accused Fauci of deliberately downplaying the possibility that the virus of originated from a research laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan, rather than jumping from an animal to humans in a wet market, as most scientists believe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cAlthough it pains me to do so, because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government and my decades-long record of cooperating with Congress, under the advice of my attorneys I will invoke my right under the fifth amendment of the constitution to refrain from answering your questions,\u201d Fauci said during the hearing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Thereafter, he warded off all subsequent questions with identical answers that invoked the fifth amendment, enraging his Republican critics.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"4b1770c9-8253-4abf-b2e9-c33f150a0e5d\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-16 | 16\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/27\/anthony-fauci-trump-covid-journal\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Fauci expressed disillusionment with \u2018rambling, crazy\u2019 Trump in journal<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cOn the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the fifth amendment of the constitution,\u201d he said, in an undeviating answer to different questions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Paul \u2013 who had subpoenaed Fauci to appear \u2013 warned him during the hearing that his stance would have \u201crepercussions\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Later, he told him: \u201cBecause you refuse to answer, citing a privilege that is unsupported because of your pardon, and after being denied to do so, this committee has scheduled a vote next week on a resolution certifying your contempt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">It is unclear whether a vote in favor of contempt will have legal force.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">According to the constitution, the fifth amendment guarantees that no individual \u201cshall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The US supreme court has confirmed in several decisions since 1955 that witnesses can invoke it in congressional investigations, <a href=\"https:\/\/constitutioncenter.org\/blog\/do-presidential-pardons-remove-the-fifth-amendment-rights-of-recipients\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">according to the Library of Congress<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cAlthough the [Fifth] amendment\u2019s protection expressly refers to criminal cases[s], the Court has nevertheless found the privilege against self-incrimination to be available to a witness appearing before a congressional committee,\u201d the library\u2019s annotated interpretation of the constitution <a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.congress.gov\/browse\/essay\/artI-S8-C18-7-7\/ALDE_00013663\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">states<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Paul has insisted Fauci is precluded from pleading the fifth, however, on the grounds that the preemptive pardon Biden granted him means he cannot be prosecuted for any of the matters senators were asking him about.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"c8078b1d-492e-4e78-81e8-5c1c2ba61fe5\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-25 | 25\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/06\/anthony-fauci-republicans-harm-public-health\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Why making Anthony Fauci the enemy will harm US public health for years<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Paul argued that Fauci\u2019s refusal to answer could lead to criminal prosecution for contempt of Congress or obstructing a congressional proceeding.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Federal law makes it a crime for witnesses to \u201cwillfully\u201d refuse to answer questions when called to give congressional testimony. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/18\/1505\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">separate law<\/a> makes it illegal to obstruct an investigation by a congressional committee.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Fauci\u2019s lawyers have argued that he is on unassailable legal grounds by pleading the amendment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><em>Robert Mackey contributed reporting<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/anthony-fauci\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Anthony Fauci<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/coronavirus-outbreak\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Coronavirus<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/republicans\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Republicans<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-congress\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US Congress<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-senate\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US Senate<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=US%20Senate%20panel%20votes%20to%20hold%20Fauci%20in%20contempt%20of%20Congress%20over%20Covid%20hearing&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/06\/fauci-senate-contempt-vote-covid?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Faug%2F06%2Ffauci-senate-contempt-vote-covid&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/aug\/06\/fauci-senate-contempt-vote-covid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anthony Fauci, former director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a Senate committee hearing on<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":7115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7113"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7116,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7113\/revisions\/7116"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}