Senate Panel Votes on Fauci Contempt After Fifth Amendment Refusal

Senate Republicans are preparing to vote Thursday on holding Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after the former health official declined to answer questions more than 100 times during a recent hearing. The move comes as new details surface about Fauci's government-issued phone from the COVID era and private diary entries that show sharp criticism of President Trump.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, led by Sen. Rand Paul, is expected to approve a resolution that could send the matter directly to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution. Paul has argued that Fauci's repeated use of the Fifth Amendment was unnecessary because of a broad pardon issued by President Biden in his final days in office. That pardon covered federal actions from 2014 through January 2025, but it does not block state-level cases or charges tied to statements made under oath in the current proceedings.

Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly four decades, told the committee that Paul was driven by an obsession and that the hearing was designed to trap him into a false statement. He spoke only in his opening remarks before invoking his right against self-incrimination for the rest of the session. Paul has countered that the pardon itself raises questions about what Fauci feared revealing.

The committee has obtained a copy of Fauci's COVID-era cellphone from the Department of Health and Human Services, now led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Sen. Ron Johnson confirmed the transfer and said the device could help answer questions Fauci refused to address. The panel has also received millions of additional pages of Fauci-related records from government servers, including diary entries in which Fauci described Trump as rambling, desperate, and incompetent.

Separately, attorneys general in Florida, West Virginia, and Louisiana have opened their own review of Fauci's pandemic role. Those state probes could proceed regardless of any federal outcome. Paul said he plans to send a referral to federal prosecutors immediately after the committee vote rather than waiting for a full Senate tally.

The developments follow years of congressional scrutiny over the origins of COVID-19 and the government's response. Critics have long questioned whether Fauci and other officials downplayed certain lab research ties while shaping public policy. Supporters of the contempt push say the phone records and diaries could finally provide clearer documentation of internal discussions.

In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in the Senate primary and will face Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in November. That race is viewed as competitive, but attention in Washington remains fixed on the Fauci matter and what the newly obtained records may reveal about decisions made during the pandemic years.