Dr. Anthony Fauci’s bad week got a little more awkward Thursday when his wife flipped off a photographer just hours after a Senate committee voted to hold the former COVID czar in contempt of Congress.
Fauci was spotted outside his $2.4 million Washington, D.C., home looking noticeably glum as he wheeled a recycling bin to the curb following the latest round of congressional scrutiny.
For a man who spent years lecturing Americans from behind a podium, the post-hearing assignment was decidedly less glamorous.
Fauci later climbed into the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by his wife, Christine Grady, a Georgetown University colleague.
That is when Grady apparently decided she had heard enough from the press.
She raised her middle finger toward the photographer before driving away, while Fauci stared blankly out the window.
The not-so-subtle gesture came after the Senate Homeland Security Committee voted 8-5 along party lines to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress.
Paparazzi snapped this photo of Fauci taking out the garbage outside his house yesterday. We’re not saying we agree with him on much, but… pic.twitter.com/EyqLoAq3RK
— Protect Our Coast NJ (@njcoast_protect) August 7, 2026
Republicans have been hammering Fauci over his refusal to answer questions about the government’s COVID-19 response and the origins of the virus
During his testimony last week, Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times.
If convicted of misdemeanor contempt of Congress, Fauci could face up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Republican senators have argued that Fauci’s Fifth Amendment strategy may not hold up because former President Joe Biden granted him a sweeping pardon covering potential crimes committed between January 2014 and January 2025.
🚨 WOW! Dr. Fauci’s wife decided to FLIP OFF reporters when the pair were caught on camera driving freely around DC today
The EXACT SAME gesture Fauci gave to Americans during COVID.
Fauci’s made it clear: he doesn’t just have contempt for Congress. He has contempt for… pic.twitter.com/od8WO2tPuk
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 7, 2026
Lawmakers have also pointed to Fauci’s opening statement as another reason to question whether he can refuse to answer virtually every substantive question.
“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,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) noted.
Fauci was subpoenaed by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has spent years challenging him over pandemic policy, taxpayer-funded research and claims surrounding the origins of COVID-19.
Paul and other Republicans have accused Fauci of misleading the public and concealing key information about the government’s role in funding research connected to the pandemic.
The pressure is not limited to Capitol Hill.
Three state attorneys general have also subpoenaed Fauci as part of a joint investigation into the former White House COVID adviser.
So while Republicans keep pressing Fauci for answers, the household response appears to be pretty simple: dodge the questions, take out the recycling and let the middle finger handle the rest.
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