WATCH: Fauci invokes 5th Amendment, declining to answer questions in GOP-led hearing on COVID-19

Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on Tuesday, refusing to answer questions posed by Republican lawmakers during a House hearing focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. The hearing, led by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, saw Fauci repeatedly decline to respond to inquiries, particularly from Senator Rand Paul.

Fauci characterized Paul's persistent questioning as an "unhinged obsession" with him. He stated that "any reasonable person" would reach the same conclusion regarding his refusal to answer the committee's questions. The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases maintained that his decision was based on legal advice and the nature of the proceedings.

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any reasonable person would come to the same conclusion about refusing to answer the committee's questions.

The hearing aimed to scrutinize the government's response to the pandemic, with a particular focus on the origins of the virus and the effectiveness of public health measures. Republicans have been critical of Fauci's role and recommendations during the pandemic, while Fauci and his supporters have defended his actions as being based on the best available science at the time.

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unhinged obsession