Dr. Anthony Fauci was voted in contempt of Congress on Thursday after a Senate committee determined that his repeated refusal to answer questions during a hearing on the COVID-19 pandemic warranted a criminal referral. The move comes after Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times while declining to respond to lawmakers’ inquiries.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the contempt resolution by an 8-5 party-line vote, referring the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for possible prosecution. The hearing focused on Fauci’s handling of the pandemic and his previous congressional testimony concerning U.S.-funded “gain of function” research.

Under the resolution, Vice President JD Vance, acting in his role as President of the Senate, is authorized to certify the committee’s report and forward it to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro for possible prosecution.

If convicted of misdemeanor contempt of Congress, Fauci could face a sentence of up to one year in prison and a fine of as much as $1,000.

At the July 29 hearing, Fauci criticized committee chairman Sen. Rand Paul, accusing the Kentucky Republican of targeting him personally.

Republican members of the committee had intended to question Fauci about research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the possibility that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory leak, and the scientific basis for several controversial pandemic policies.

Because Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment, he declined to answer even routine questions, including one from Sen. Josh Hawley asking about the color of his necktie.

Republicans argued that Fauci had forfeited his ability to invoke the Fifth Amendment because of both the opening statement he voluntarily delivered and the sweeping pardon he received from then-President Joe Biden covering potential federal offenses between January 2014 and January 2025.

“The assertion of a Fifth Amendment privilege only adheres to those instances where the witness has a reasonable fear of future prosecution, and it must be tailored to any such fear,” Hawley noted.

“Fauci faced no risk of federal prosecution. All he had to do was tell the truth,” Paul claimed shortly before the vote. “More than 100 times, though, he refused.”

“The chair ruled that Doctor Fauci’s assertion of the Fifth Amendment privilege was unsupported in light of the pardon and the testimony he offered in his opening statement. The chair directed Anthony Fauci to answer. He refused again,” he added.

Democrats attempted to halt the contempt proceedings by offering motions to table the resolution, including a proposal to grant Fauci immunity from federal prosecution if he agreed to testify fully. Republican members voted down each of those efforts.

Democrats argued that Fauci still had legitimate concerns about legal exposure because Paul has repeatedly urged the Justice Department to investigate whether Fauci misled Congress in prior testimony.

They also noted that three state attorneys general have subpoenaed Fauci and argued that any testimony he provided before the Senate could potentially be used in state investigations, despite his federal pardon.

Sen. Gary Peters, the committee’s ranking Democrat, accused Republicans of punishing Fauci for exercising a constitutional right.

“Future witnesses will argue that appearing before Congress exposes them to punishment, regardless of whether they comply with the subpoena and invoke a constitutional protection,” warned Peters, the top Democrat on the committee.

“The chairman has also suggested he may attempt to refer this matter to the Department of Justice without approval of the full Senate,” Peters added. “That would be even more dangerous.”

Earlier Thursday, Sen. Ron Johnson disclosed that the committee had obtained a copy of Fauci’s cellphone from the Department of Health and Human Services and said lawmakers are also seeking an additional transcribed interview with the former NIAID director.

{Matzav.com}