Fauci Declines 2nd Senate Appearance as GOP Panel Pursues Contempt After 111 Fifth Amendment Invocations
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 15
Fauci Declines 2nd Senate Appearance as GOP Panel Pursues Contempt After 111 Fifth Amendment Invocations
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 15
Summary
Anthony Fauci on Friday refused Sen. Ron Johnson’s request to appear voluntarily before a second Senate panel, widening Republican investigations into his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fauci’s lawyer said another appearance after the July 29 hearing would "impermissibly harass or degrade" him for political purposes; at that hearing, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times.
Rand Paul’s Homeland Security committee voted along party lines last week to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress and is seeking to send the referral directly to the U.S. Attorney in Washington without a full Senate vote.
The dispute centers on whether Joe Biden’s preemptive pardon erased Fauci’s federal criminal exposure and weakened his basis for refusing to answer, a view Fauci’s lawyers reject.
Johnson’s subcommittee has already gathered pandemic-era records, including Fauci’s work iPhone, while it remains unclear whether Johnson will now issue a subpoena.