A US Senate committee has approved a contempt of Congress referral against Dr Anthony Fauci, escalating a long-running dispute over the former health official’s role in the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision does not itself amount to a criminal conviction. Republican Senator Rand Paul, who chairs the committee, said he intends to forward the referral to the US Department of Justice for possible criminal proceedings.
Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the referral following a hearing last week at which Fauci repeatedly invoked his right against self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution.
Acting on the advice of his lawyers, Fauci invoked the amendment more than 100 times while being questioned by Republican senators about the handling of the pandemic and claims concerning the origins of COVID-19.
The committee’s Republican majority said Fauci had obstructed Congress’s investigative work by refusing to answer its questions.
Before the hearing, Fauci accused Paul, a longstanding political opponent, of having a “clear obsession” with bringing him before the courts.
Referral could be sent to Justice Department
Paul said he planned to submit the committee’s decision directly to the Department of Justice and seek criminal proceedings. Such referrals, however, are generally first considered by the full Senate.
The vote therefore represents a further procedural step in the effort to pursue a case against Fauci, rather than a finding of criminal guilt.
Democratic members of the committee criticised the process. Senator Gary Peters accused Paul of conducting a “rushed investigation” and described the proceedings as politically motivated.
Long-running dispute over the pandemic
Paul has accused Fauci for years of misleading Congress about the pandemic. He recently published excerpts from Fauci’s private diary, although the material did not provide evidence establishing the origins of COVID-19.
The excerpts reflected Fauci’s concerns about the unfolding pandemic, his reaction to his growing public profile and his frustration with Paul.
Fauci, now 85, led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 38 years before retiring in 2022. He became the public face of the US response to COVID-19, advising both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, but also emerged as a prominent target of conservative criticism.
Trump and other Republicans criticised Fauci over lockdowns, mask and social-distancing guidance, and the promotion of vaccines. Fauci and public health officials internationally maintained that the measures were based on the scientific evidence available at the time.
COVID-19 has killed more than 1.1 million people in the United States.
Biden’s pardon does not cover later conduct
Before leaving office in January 2025, former President Joe Biden granted Fauci a pre-emptive pardon intended to protect him from what Biden described as “unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions” connected to COVID-19 or his role in managing the crisis.
The pardon does not cover conduct that occurred after it was issued, including Fauci’s testimony before the Senate committee.
Source: CNA
