US Senate committee votes to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt

A U.S. Senate committee has voted to declare Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical advisor on the COVID-19 pandemic, in contempt of Congress. The decision came after Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment, refusing to answer questions during a public hearing last week concerning his handling of the pandemic.

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invoked the Fifth Amendment on at least 111 occasions

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs approved the resolution by a narrow margin of eight to seven, strictly along party lines. Fauci invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination at least 111 times during the hearing. The committee has referred the case to the Department of Justice, which will decide whether to pursue contempt charges.

Senator Rand Paul, the committee's Republican chairman, argued that Fauci could not claim Fifth Amendment protection because he had received a presidential pardon from Joe Biden earlier that year. Paul asserted that the pardon should have eliminated any concern of criminal prosecution. However, Fauci and the Democrats who opposed the contempt resolution maintained that he had a well-founded fear of self-incrimination, given the public's and Republicans' stated desire to prosecute him.

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he had a well-founded fear of self-incrimination, given the public willingness of Republicans to seek his prosecution.

The situation raises complex legal and political questions. While a contempt finding could lead to an investigation into Fauci's right to remain silent, some legal experts suggest he had valid reasons to invoke the Fifth Amendment. These reasons include the potential for state-level investigations and lingering doubts about the validity of Biden's pardons, particularly given past Justice Department actions against perceived adversaries of former President Donald Trump. The outcome remains uncertain as the case moves to the Department of Justice.

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Paul considered Fauci's claims 'unsubstantiated'.