Senate Panel Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt After 100-Plus Fifth Amendment Invocations
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 10
Senate Panel Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt After 100-Plus Fifth Amendment Invocations
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 10
Summary
A Republican-led Senate committee voted along party lines to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress and referred the case to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution.
More than 100 Fifth Amendment invocations at last week's hearing triggered the move, after Fauci said Rand Paul was trying to force statements that could put him "behind bars."
Biden's early-2025 pre-emptive pardon does not cover conduct after January 2025 and would not block state or local cases, leaving the retired 85-year-old still exposed.
Rand Paul has long accused Fauci of funding research in China tied to Covid-19's origins and then lying about it, allegations Fauci has repeatedly denied.
The vote caps years of Republican scrutiny of Fauci's pandemic decisions, including subpoenas and the release of more than 1,000 pages of his diary.
Will unprecedented legal threats against a former health official permanently deter scientists from guiding the nation through future global emergencies?
How does a preemptive presidential pardon alter an expert's legal right to remain silent during a congressional probe?
What secrets about the pandemic's early days are actually hidden within the newly released private diaries of the top infectious disease expert?