Fauci Uses Fifth Amendment at US Senate Hearing
Anthony Fauci is the former top US health official. He invoked the Fifth Amendment at a Senate hearing this week.
The hearing focused on COVID-19 origins and his pandemic response. Fauci declined to answer questions about his handling of the crisis.
He said he feared Republicans could try to trip him up. He worried they might use his words to charge him with lying.
This was Fauci's first time using the Fifth Amendment. He has appeared before Congress more than 250 times before.
During the hearing Fauci accused Senate committee chair Rand Paul of being obsessed with him. Paul argued Fauci did not need protection since President Biden already pardoned him.
Paul said the committee will vote next week on holding Fauci in contempt. Days before the hearing Paul released about 1100 pages of Fauci's work diaries.
The diaries cover late 2019 through Fauci's retirement in December 2022. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. handed over the diaries after an eight month search.
Gary Peters is the top Democrat on the homeland security committee. He said the committee has a long history of fair oversight.
Peters said studying COVID-19 origins and risky research is a fair topic. Other Democrats defended Fauci's right to use the Fifth Amendment. They called the hearing a distraction from real public health concerns.
Key Terms 4
- Fifth Amendment A US right letting people avoid answering questions that could incriminate them.
- contempt A formal charge for disobeying or disrespecting a government body like Congress.
- NIAID The US health institute Fauci led that studies infectious diseases.
- pardoned Officially forgiven by the president, removing legal punishment for past actions.