Signature: 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
by KLZ Radio
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Rand Paul says he believes Senate Republicans have the votes to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after the former federal health official invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during questioning about the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by the Kentucky Republican, is scheduled to consider the contempt resolution Thursday morning. If the measure is approved, Paul says the committee intends to send the referral directly to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
“I think there is a very good chance that we will win the vote,” Paul told Fox News Digital.
Fauci Refuses to Answer Under Subpoena
Fauci appeared before the committee under subpoena last week but declined to answer questions about the origins of COVID-19, federal support for risky virus research and the government’s pandemic-era decision-making. After delivering an opening statement, he repeatedly asserted his constitutional protection against self-incrimination.
Fauci said his attorneys advised him not to answer because Paul has publicly called for his prosecution and imprisonment. Democrats on the committee defended Fauci and characterized the investigation as a politically motivated effort to punish a longtime public-health official.
Republicans counter that Americans still deserve a full accounting of decisions that produced lockdowns, school closures, vaccine mandates, censorship pressure and trillions of dollars in federal spending. They also argue that Fauci’s refusal is especially difficult to justify because former President Joe Biden issued him a broad pardon covering federal offenses committed from January 1, 2014, through January 19, 2025.
Pardon Creates Unsettled Legal Question
Paul contends that the pardon removes Fauci’s reasonable fear of federal prosecution for covered conduct, weakening his basis for invoking the Fifth Amendment. The legal issue is not entirely settled, however. A pardon would not protect Fauci against prosecution for any new false statement or perjury, and it does not necessarily eliminate possible exposure under state law.
The contempt resolution released by Paul’s committee directs the matter to federal prosecutors if approved. The Justice Department would then decide whether and how to proceed, and Fauci could challenge the referral in court.
Conservatives have waited years for meaningful accountability over the federal pandemic response. Fauci’s prominence does not place him beyond congressional oversight, and a preemptive pardon should not become a permanent shield against answering legitimate questions. At the same time, constitutional protections must remain intact even when the witness invoking them is unpopular.
The immediate question before the committee is narrower: whether a subpoenaed witness may offer an opening statement, refuse virtually every substantive question and leave Congress—and the public—with no answers. Paul believes the votes are finally there to say no.
Sources: Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Fox News.
