Dr. Anthony Fauci declined to answer questions outside his home on Thursday, walking away when asked about his Fifth Amendment plea and his handling of the COVID‑19 pandemic.
The refusal followed his earlier decision, on legal advice, to invoke the Fifth Amendment during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing chaired by Senator Rand Paul.
In his opening statement, Fauci expressed respect for the legislative branch and his long history of cooperating with Congress, but stated he would refrain from answering questions under the Fifth Amendment.
Lawmakers questioned his pandemic response, policy choices, and alleged involvement in funding gain‑of‑function research in Wuhan, China.
Senator Paul argued that a presidential pardon provided immunity, making the Fifth Amendment claim untenable, and indicated the committee would consider a contempt resolution.
He noted that the Fifth Amendment protects against self‑incrimination, but immunity removes that protection unless false statements are made.
When asked if he regretted any decisions made as the nation’s public health leader during the pandemic, Fauci offered no response.
The committee has released more than 1,100 pages of Fauci’s diary entries from the pandemic period, alleging inconsistencies between his private notes and public statements.
One entry recorded an early discussion among scientists about the possibility of a deliberately engineered virus, while Fauci later publicly supported a natural origin.
Another diary note indicated Fauci’s involvement in encouraging school closures in New York and California, contrary to his public claim of not directing such actions.
With support from other Republican senators, Paul is pursuing contempt of Congress charges against Fauci for his refusal to answer questions during the hearing.
