Fauci invokes silence at US COVID-19 origins hearing, calls it 'character assassination'

Former US chief infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci refused to answer questions during a congressional hearing on the origins of COVID-19, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Fauci, advised by his lawyer, described the hearing as a "character assassination" orchestrated by Republican Senator Rand Paul.

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The only conclusion I can come to is that the only reason he has summoned me to testify before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that will allow him to eventually say that I have 'jailed' me as he has repeatedly promised to do.

Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, had subpoenaed the retired immunologist. He has long insisted the pandemic originated from a lab and was covered up. Paul also released thousands of pages of Fauci's unredacted personal diaries prior to the hearing.

Fauci stated that Paul has an "obsession" with him and that his legal team believes Paul is trying to set him up for a perjury charge. "The only conclusion I can come to is that the only reason he has summoned me to testify before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that will allow him to eventually say that I have 'jailed' me as he has repeatedly promised to do," Fauci said.

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obsession

During the hearing, Paul reiterated his accusations that Fauci lied about directing funding for research in China while leading the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci has repeatedly denied these claims, which lack evidence. Some lawmakers, including Democratic Senators Gary Peters and Maggie Hassan, criticized the hearing, with Peters calling it an attempt to "legitimize a predetermined conclusion" and Hassan suggesting it was designed to "trap" Fauci.

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character assassination