Key facts
- Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment over 100 times at a Senate COVID-19 hearing.
- Fauci refused to answer questions from Senator Rand Paul.
- Fauci accused Paul of having a "vendetta" and seeking his imprisonment.
- Paul released diary entries suggesting Fauci's private records differed from public statements.
- The hearing focused on COVID-19 origins and policy.
- Republicans questioned Fauci's COVID-19 response.
- Fauci accused Paul of obsession and slander.
- The hearing highlighted anger over pandemic-era mandates and virus origins.
- The Fifth Amendment protects against self-incrimination.
- The Fifth Amendment applies in congressional hearings.
Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination over 100 times during a Senate COVID-19 hearing, refusing to answer questions posed by Senator Rand Paul. Fauci stated that Paul had a "vendetta" against him and was seeking to imprison him. Senator Paul, in turn, released diary entries that he claimed suggested Fauci's private records differed from his public statements. The hearing, which focused on the origins of COVID-19, devolved into heated exchanges between the two.