Senate Hearing Targets Fauci with Fifth-Amendment Invocations and Contempt Threat

On Wednesday, July 29, 2026, Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in Washington. The Republican-led panel, chaired by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), questioned Fauci about his role in the COVID-19 pandemic, NIH funding of research in China, and the virus’s origins. Fauci repeatedly declined to answer, invoking the Fifth Amendment.

Associated Press(The) Atlantic

The hearing follows a years-long effort by Sen. Paul and other Republicans to hold Fauci accountable for decisions made while he led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Paul released more than 1,000 pages of Fauci’s personal diary and has accused Fauci of “dogmatic” support for gain-of-function research, citing a 2011 op-ed in *The Washington Post* that argued the knowledge from such work was “worth the risks.” Fauci received a presidential pardon from President Joe Biden in the final weeks of the 2025 administration, covering alleged offenses up to that point but not protecting him from perjury prosecution for statements made after the pardon.

Associated Press

Fox News legal analyst Solomon Wisenberg said that even if the Senate votes to hold Fauci in contempt, the Justice Department would likely refuse to prosecute, making a successful enforcement unlikely.

The Hill

• Sen. Rand Paul announced a contempt vote would occur in committee “next week,” framing the Fifth-Amendment invocation as an “obvious obsession” with avoiding prosecution.

The Hill

• Dr. Fauci, following counsel’s advice, repeated the same Fifth-Amendment response to each question: “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.”

(The) Atlantic

• Democratic senators described the hearing as a politically motivated “entrapment” effort.

The Hill

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warned that Fauci could face perjury charges if he lies under oath.

Associated Press

Republican critics escalated personal attacks, with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) calling Fauci a “narcissist” and “liar,” and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fl.) labeling him a “villain” who “destroyed the federal government’s credibility.” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wi.) linked Fauci’s 2021 pulmonary infarction to COVID-19 vaccination, citing “more than 39,000 deaths” from vaccine adverse reports—data the committee noted are derived from unvetted, user-submitted sources and likely overestimate the true figure by about a thousand-fold.

(The) Atlantic

• The committee reviewed over 1,000 pages of Fauci’s diary entries.

Associated Press

• More than 150 scientists signed a public letter defending Fauci.

Associated Press

• NIH grants to the New York nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance funded collaborative work with a Chinese laboratory; the definition of “gain-of-function” research remains contested.

Associated Press

• Sen. Johnson’s claim of 39,000 vaccine-related deaths is based on the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, which experts say inflates numbers by roughly 1,000 times.

(The) Atlantic

• Origins of COVID-19: Republicans, led by Paul, continue to promote the laboratory-leak hypothesis, while the majority of virologists and the 2024 GOP-led subcommittee found no evidence linking Fauci to wrongdoing and consider natural spillover the most plausible scenario.

Associated Press

• Contempt Vote: Paul asserts a committee vote will occur next week; legal analysts contend the Justice Department is unlikely to enforce any contempt citation.

The Hill

Sen. Paul indicated that the committee will cast a contempt vote “next week,” after which the referral would be sent to the Justice Department for consideration. The department’s decision on whether to pursue charges remains pending.

The Hill