Dr. Anthony Fauci has refused a request to voluntarily appear before a second Senate panel, intensifying a conflict with Republicans investigating the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. An attorney for Fauci rejected the request from Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, stating that compelling another testimony after his contentious July 29 appearance would "impermissibly harass or degrade Dr. Fauci for political purposes."
Johnson's subcommittee is conducting a parallel investigation into Fauci and the government's pandemic response, including the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. This refusal follows a vote by Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress. During the July hearing, Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times.
Committee chairman Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has sought to send the contempt referral directly to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Columbia, bypassing a full Senate vote. Paul has argued that a preemptive pardon issued by former President Joe Biden removed Fauci's risk of federal prosecution, thus undermining his basis for refusing to answer questions. Fauci and his legal team dispute this interpretation. Paul has been investigating Fauci's role in the COVID-19 response, including allegations of funding "risky" research that may have led to the virus's lab leak in China, and has repeatedly called for Fauci's prosecution.
Sen. Ron Johnson has separately acquired records related to Fauci and the pandemic response. The Department of Health and Human Services previously provided the subcommittee with a copy of Fauci's cellphone from the pandemic era. Additionally, the broader Homeland Security panel received over 1,000 pages of Fauci's personal diary prior to his July testimony.
It remains unclear if Johnson's office will issue a subpoena for Fauci's testimony following this refusal. Fauci's attorney, David Schertler, has not indicated whether Fauci would comply with a subpoena compelling his appearance.