Senate Republicans on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted along party lines to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. The vote follows Fauci's refusal to answer questions during a recent hearing, during which he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times.
Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., the committee's chair, indicated that the resolution would allow the referral to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to be skipped, enabling him to send the contempt charge directly to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Paul has stated his intention to pursue swift DOJ involvement.
The action is the latest development in the ongoing dispute between Paul and Fauci, who served as the former chief medical advisor to the president and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Paul has previously accused Fauci of funding research that may have led to the COVID-19 virus originating from a lab in China.
In parallel, a copy of Fauci's pandemic-era cellphone has been provided to Senate Republican investigators. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reportedly sent the phone to the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. This subcommittee operates under Paul's broader Homeland Security panel. Investigators also previously received over 1,000 pages from Fauci's personal diary.
Meanwhile, House Republican investigators are also continuing their scrutiny of Fauci. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has questioned the validity of a preemptive pardon granted to Fauci by President Joe Biden, suggesting it should not preclude Fauci from answering questions. Comer indicated his committee would also seek further testimony from Fauci.