Committee Is Set to Vote Thursday on Whether to Hold Anthony Fauci in Contempt of Congress After He Refused to Answer Lawmakers' Questions

Fauci, the 85-year-old former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified before the committee on July 29, where he accused Chairman Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., of having "an unhinged obsession" with him and said the hearing was an attempt to trick him into lying under oath. "Therefore, although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government and my decades-long record of cooperating with Congress, Fauci said, "under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions.

Fauci noted he had already answered many of the committee's questions in prior testimony. Paul, who has long sparred with Fauci over the pandemic's origins, released more than 1,000 pages of Fauci's private diary entries before the hearing, claiming they showed private uncertainty about the cause. Paul also argued Fauci shouldn't worry about testifying due to a pardon from former President Joe Biden covering conduct between 2014 and January 2025, which Biden called "preemptive" amid Republican scrutiny.

That pardon does not protect Fauci from prosecution for conduct after that date, including testimony given now. If the committee votes for contempt, the Justice Department will decide whether to pursue criminal charges, a rare step but one taken against former Trump advisers Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro during the Biden administration. Democrats see a similar risk for Fauci, citing prosecutions of other former officials criticized by President Trump, including ex-FBI Director James Comey.