Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment over 100 times in Senate hearing on COVID origins

Dr Anthony Fauci, the former top infectious disease expert in the United States, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times during a Senate hearing on the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. The hearing, led by Republican Senator Rand Paul, was the latest in a series of confrontations between the two men. Fauci said he was taking the unusual step because of what he called Senator Paul's 'unhinged obsession' with him and the risk that his testimony could be used to prosecute him for perjury. He stated: 'Given Senator Paul's obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution, his repeated slanderous comments about me, and recently his publicly releasing my unredacted personal diary aimed at embarrassing and intimidating me, 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, quote, behind bars, unquote.' Fauci, who had received a pardon from President Biden, refused to answer over 90 questions during the combative hearing. The move has sparked a political backlash. Republicans are furious, seeing it as a refusal to cooperate with a legitimate inquiry into the pandemic response. Democrats have largely backed Fauci, calling the hearing a witch hunt. Senator Paul has called for a contempt of Congress vote against Fauci, though it remains unclear whether the Senate majority leader will bring it to the floor. Contempt of Congress is a serious charge but is rarely pursued. The hearing reignites the deep political divisions over how the United States handled the coronavirus pandemic, including lockdowns, mask mandates, and social distancing measures. Fauci, who served under both President Trump and President Biden, has long been a target of Republican criticism, particularly from Senator Paul, who has accused him of misleading the public. The outcome of the contempt proceedings remains uncertain.