Senate Committee Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt

A US Senate committee voted on Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former top US infectious disease official, in contempt of Congress after he refused to answer questions about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The vote by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved a referral pushed by its Republican Chair, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a long-time Fauci antagonist.

The move comes after Fauci, who is 85 and retired in 2022, invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a hearing last week, declining to answer questions from Republican senators. Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 38 years, became the face of the US pandemic response and a primary target of anger over measures taken against a virus that killed more than 1.1 million Americans.

Fauci received a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden in January 2025, to guard against "unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions" related to COVID-19 or his role in the response. The pardon does not cover subsequent conduct.

Coverage Comparison

All three outlets that reported on this story agree on the core facts: the committee voted to hold Fauci in contempt, and Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment repeatedly during the hearing. The South China Morning Post noted that the vote followed a hearing where Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times, while The Hindu reported that he declined to answer over 100 questions.

The outlets also agree that Fauci received a pardon from President Biden in 2025 and that the pardon does not cover subsequent conduct. Al Jazeera highlighted Fauci's accusation that Senator Paul had an "unhinged obsession" with him, a sentiment echoed by The Hindu and the South China Morning Post, which quoted Fauci as saying Paul had an "obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution."

The Hindu additionally noted that Fauci's diary entries were released by Senator Paul, showing his thoughts on the pandemic, a detail not mentioned in the other two reports.

Key Claims

  • Fifth Amendment Invocation: Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment during a Senate hearing, declining to answer over 100 questions from Republican senators. This claim is supported by all three sources, with the South China Morning Post and The Hindu both describing the number of times he declined to answer.
  • Contempt Vote: The Senate committee voted to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress. This is reported by Al Jazeera and the South China Morning Post. Following the vote, the panel could refer Fauci to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution, though the law enforcement agency will ultimately decide whether to move ahead with charges.
  • Pardon: Fauci received a pardon from President Joe Biden in 2025, which does not cover subsequent conduct. This is reported by all three sources. The pardon was preemptive, and the South China Morning Post noted it was intended to guard against "unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions."
  • Diary Entries: Fauci's diary entries were released by Senator Paul, showing his thoughts on the pandemic. This claim appears only in The Hindu's report.
  • Fauci's Accusation: Fauci accused Senator Paul of having an "unhinged obsession" with him, as reported by Al Jazeera, while the South China Morning Post and The Hindu quoted him as saying Paul had an "obvious obsession" with calling for his prosecution.

Perspectives

Senator Rand Paul (Republican, Kentucky): Paul argued that Fauci had no valid Fifth Amendment claim because the pardon nullified it and because Fauci waived any remaining protection by testifying. He also accused Fauci of trying to "have it both ways" by delivering an opening statement decrying the hearing before invoking his Fifth Amendment right during questioning.

Fauci's Defense: Fauci accused the hearing of being designed to entrap him, stating that the only conclusion he could reach was that Paul was calling him before the committee to get him to say something that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that Fauci would end up "behind bars." He said he was following his attorney's advice by taking the Fifth.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal: Blumenthal said there was "virtually no chance that a court would actually approve any contempt because [Fauci] had a well-founded fear of self-incrimination, which entitled him to invoke the Fifth Amendment."