Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment on Wednesday and declined to answer questions during a subpoenaed Senate hearing on COVID-19 led by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Paul, who has spent years investigating Fauci’s handling of the pandemic, focused his questioning on federal funding provided to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where coronavirus research was conducted. The senator called the funding “one of the worst public health decisions” in history and argued that Fauci should acknowledge responsibility for the pandemic’s consequences.
During the hearing, Paul also questioned the scope of a pardon previously granted to Fauci by former President Joe Biden, arguing that it would not protect him from potential perjury related to his current testimony. The senator also cited excerpts from Fauci’s personal journals, claiming they contradicted some of his public statements during the pandemic.
Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), invoked the Fifth Amendment, which protects individuals from being compelled to incriminate themselves in criminal proceedings.
