US Senate committee votes to hold Fauci in contempt over Covid hearing

A US Senate committee has voted to hold former top health official Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress, escalating a political standoff over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The committee's vote, which fell along party lines, means it will refer the case to the Justice Department for potential prosecution. Fauci repeatedly invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination during a recent hearing, refusing to answer questions about his past actions. He invoked this right more than 100 times, drawing the ire of Republican lawmakers.

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The chair directed Anthony Fauci to answer. He refused. That is what we are voting on today, not his opinions, not his policies, not anything he said from the podium six years ago.

Kentucky Republican Rand Paul, the committee chair, stated ahead of the vote that the decision was not about Fauci's opinions or policies but whether a witness, who has received a federal pardon, could defy a congressional order without consequence. Former President Joe Biden issued Fauci a pre-emptive pardon on his last day in office in 2025, covering actions between 2014 and 2025. However, this pardon does not protect him from federal prosecution for contempt of Congress or from state or local charges.

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We are voting on whether a witness who has received the benefit of a federal pardon can be ordered by this committee to answer questions and then defy that order without consequence.