WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right Wednesday and declined to answer senators’ questions during a hearing examining the origins of COVID-19 and the federal pandemic response.
Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he acted on advice from his attorneys because Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul has repeatedly called for his prosecution. Fauci accused the Kentucky Republican of an “unhinged obsession” and said the hearing appeared designed to produce testimony that could support a perjury case.
Paul proceeded with his questions, but Fauci repeatedly gave the same response, respectfully declining to answer under the Fifth Amendment. Paul has long alleged that Fauci misled Congress about federally supported coronavirus research connected to China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology. Fauci has consistently denied lying to lawmakers.
The hearing followed Paul’s release of more than 1,000 pages from Fauci’s pandemic-era journals, which Paul says conflict with some of Fauci’s public statements. Fauci’s representatives dispute that interpretation.
Former President Joe Biden issued Fauci a preemptive pardon shortly before leaving office in January 2025. Fauci said at the time that he had committed no crime but faced politically motivated threats of prosecution.
Fauci’s attorney said Paul’s conduct and public accusations made continued cooperation impossible, while Paul argued truthful testimony would create no risk of perjury.
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