TL/DR –
Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right at a hearing on the origins of Covid-19 and the government’s handling of the pandemic, refusing to answer senators’ questions to prevent Republicans from using his testimony to accuse him of perjury. Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee criticized Dr. Fauci’s recommendations during the pandemic, while Democrats defended him and criticized the Trump administration’s health policies. After Dr. Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times, committee Chairman Rand Paul announced he would call for a vote to hold Dr. Fauci in contempt of Congress.
Dr. Fauci Invokes Fifth Amendment at Senate Hearing on Covid Origins
Dr. Anthony Fauci chose to invoke his Fifth Amendment right at a heated Senate hearing Wednesday focused on the Covid pandemic origins and governmental response. Fauci’s decision was to prevent potential perjury prosecution by Republicans.
The unexpected decision led to a partisan hearing with no new revelations about the Covid origins or the response. Yet, the absence of Fauci’s testimony allowed both Republicans and Democrats to propose contrasting narratives.
Republicans criticized Fauci’s pandemic recommendations and accused him of giving harmful advice on topics like lockdowns and being dishonest about the Covid origins.
Democrats defended Fauci, characterizing the hearing as a Republican ploy to make Fauci commit perjury while criticizing the Trump administration’s health care policies.
After Fauci had invoked the Fifth Amendment over 100 times, committee Chairman Rand Paul stated he would call for a vote to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress next week.
Fauci and Paul, who consistently clashed in past congressional hearings, were at odds again over the issue of “gain of function” lab research and whether funding from the National Institutes of Health went to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Paul responded to accusations that he was setting a perjury trap for Fauci by stating, “There’s no risk to perjury if you tell the truth.”
“He can admit to anything. The only thing he can’t do is lie again,” Paul said, addressing Fauci.
In his opening statement, Fauci cited Paul’s repeated attacks and his decision to publicly release Fauci’s personal journal as reasons to invoke his 5th Amendment right.
Fauci accused Paul of trying to get him to say something that could validate his repeated claims that Fauci should end up “behind bars”.
“Under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the 5th Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions,” Fauci stated.
Former President Joe Biden previously issued a pre-emptive pardon to Fauci to protect him from potential political prosecutions. However, Paul hinted that Fauci could still face charges over his testimony.
Fauci’s legal team considered Biden’s pardon a factor not to answer senators’ questions, because Republicans consistently suggested the pardon would not apply to new statements.
During the hearing, Republican senators, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. tried unsuccessfully to provoke Fauci into responding to their queries.
Fauci consistently responded: “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.”
Paul warned Fauci of “repercussions” for his refusal to testify.
“There will be repercussions to your refusal to testify today,” Paul warned Fauci at the end of his questioning session.
After Paul’s final remark, Fauci’s lawyer, David Schertler, tried to speak but was interrupted by Paul, who eventually ordered security to remove Schertler from the room.
Schertler later stated to NBC News that Fauci “has a valid Fifth Amendment privilege, and he has the right to assert it.”
“That’s what I was trying to tell the committee, and that’s all I was trying to tell the committee,” Schertler stated.
In a separate statement, Schertler called Paul’s actions “outrageous,” and accused him of taking “an intense and seemingly pathological course of retribution, revenge, and obsession with Dr. Fauci” which has led to threats and harassment of the doctor and his family.
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