Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment in heated COVID-19 Senate hearing

Fauci led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the time when the COVID-19 crisis began in late 2019 and early 2020.

Watch LIVE: x.com/i/broadcasts/1OxwbbjRp… — Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) Jul 29, 2026 The Hill - News Paul says Senate panel to vote on holding Fauci in contempt https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5997184-paul-plans-contempt-vote-fauci/ 2026-07-29T17:05:29.671Z Sen.

What we know

On Wednesday, Fauci appeared before a Republican-led committee on homeland security and government affairs, led by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has been critical of the physician’s record during the pandemic. After Trump’s defeat in the 2020 elections, Fauci became chief medical adviser to Trump’s successor, Democrat Joe Biden, for the first half of his presidency.

Rick Scott (R-FL) said during Wednesday’s hearing as Fauci continued to refuse to answer any and all questions, repeatedly invoking the Fifth Amendment. Every three weeks, a doctor tells you a new set of guidance on a vaccine,” Scott said, asserting that the “haphazard information” Fauci released and pushed on Americans was “appalling.” That is why, Scott continued, there is so much distrust in American institutions.

Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said Wednesday he would push to hold Dr.

The details

He stepped down from both the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and his White House role in 2022. In Wednesday’s opening statement, Paul sought to build the case that Fauci helped cause the COVID-19 pandemic by approving funding for research on virus mutations and then covered up his complicity. In today's issue: Fauci invokes the 5th in Senate GOP showdown Rand Paul removes Fauci attorney from hearing room Iran launches surprise attack on US troops Trump vows to ‘beat the f—ing s—’ out of Iran Trump ups... Ask Yourself Why Fauci Is Invoking The 5th Even AFTER His Preemptive Pardon From Biden!

Reactions

“The sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to prompt me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, ‘behind bars’,” Fauci said. “I hope today Dr Fauci will come clean, admit it was a mistake to fund research in China, admit that the risk of this research exceeded any possible benefits,” Paul said. “Well, nothing says honesty like taking the Fifth, huh, doc?” Hawley said.