Dr. Anthony Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment on Wednesday, refusing to answer questions before a Senate committee investigating his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the origins of the virus, as Sen. Rand Paul accused the former health official of trying to dodge accountability.
Fauci, who was subpoenaed to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, declined to answer questions just minutes into the hearing, saying he feared Republicans were attempting to build a criminal case against him.
In a lengthy opening statement, Fauci argued the hearing was politically motivated and aimed solely at exposing him to prosecution.
“The sole reason (Sen. Paul) is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, ‘behind bars,’” Fauci said.
He continued: “His obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution has compelled me to conclude that this proceeding is nothing more than a politically motivated effort to trap me into making statements that could later be twisted or distorted into a basis for criminal charges.”
🚨 LMAO!! Dr. Fauci just FUMED that Rand Paul released his private diary entries because they’re “embarrassing” and could contribute to his prosecution
Fauci looks PANICKED.
“Given Senator Paul’s obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution, his repeated slanderous… pic.twitter.com/OFXayw62sL
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 29, 2026
As questioning began, Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment as Paul pressed him about NIH-funded research, the origins of COVID-19 and other pandemic-era decisions.
At one point, Paul remarked, “Let the record [reflect] that the witness has refused to answer whether there’s a folder in front of him based on his Fifth Amendment right.”
The dramatic exchange marked the first time Fauci has invoked the Fifth Amendment in more than 250 appearances before Congress. The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has spent years denying allegations that he misled lawmakers about U.S.-funded research connected to Wuhan, China.
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Paul argued in his opening remarks that former President Joe Biden’s preemptive pardon of Fauci does not erase the historical record or prevent Congress from examining whether he made false statements under oath.
“A pardon that protects a person from criminal prosecution doesn’t rewrite history. It does not erase documents. It does not convert a misleading statement to a truthful one, and it does not prevent Congress from establishing what happened,” Paul said.
BREAKING: Sen. Rand Paul sends a direct message to Dr. Anthony Fauci during his opening remarks at today’s high-stakes Senate hearing:
“President Biden issued you a sweeping pardon extending back to 2014, the same pardon he gave to his son, Hunter. A pardon may protect a person… pic.twitter.com/DrQSTURfQW
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 29, 2026
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said earlier this week that Fauci could still face legal trouble if he lied during fresh congressional testimony.
“There are many things that (Fauci) said that we know are lies, and Rand Paul presumably is going to ask him about those things, and if he lies again, then he could be subject to perjury prosecution,” Kennedy told Fox News on Monday.
President Donald Trump also weighed in before the hearing, writing on Truth Social that Fauci “made too many bad calls” during the pandemic while adding that he “didn’t let (Fauci) shut the Country down.”
The hearing came days after Paul released more than 1,100 pages of Fauci’s pandemic-era diary entries, arguing they raise fresh questions about the government’s COVID-19 response and Fauci’s previous public statements. Fauci has disputed that characterization.
For years, Paul has argued that the National Institutes of Health helped fund risky coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology through U.S.-backed grants. Fauci has denied the NIH funded research that created the virus responsible for the pandemic.
The origins of COVID-19 remain disputed. U.S. intelligence agencies have reached differing conclusions, with some assessing a laboratory-related incident is the most likely source while others continue to favor natural transmission. No definitive conclusion has been reached, though the lab leak theory has gained increasing support within parts of the U.S. government and intelligence community.
