Key facts
- A U.S. Senate committee voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress.
- Fauci refused to answer questions about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination multiple times.
- The committee obtained a backup copy of Fauci's iPhone.
- Senator Rand Paul, chair of the committee, pushed for the contempt referral.
The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he refused to answer questions about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee, led by Republican Chair Rand Paul, approved the referral following a hearing where Fauci, who retired in 2022, invoked the Fifth Amendment over 100 times. Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 38 years, became a prominent figure during the pandemic response and a target of criticism regarding public health measures. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the top Democrat on the panel, expressed concern that Paul's resolution could weaken the committee's investigative abilities. Paul had suggested sending the contempt resolution directly to the Justice Department, bypassing a full Senate vote, a move Peters deemed dangerous and unprecedented. Fauci accused Paul of summoning him solely to force testimony supporting his public pledges to see him imprisoned. President Joe Biden had preemptively pardoned Fauci in January 2025, a detail Paul argued nullified Fauci's Fifth Amendment claim, though the pardon does not cover subsequent conduct. Fauci also faces state-level investigations in Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama.