Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has called for former White House COVID-19 adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci to face contempt of Congress charges, prosecution for perjury, and jail time, stating that Fauci "should face jail time for misleading the American people about the virus." Cruz's remarks follow Fauci's invocation of the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a Senate hearing.
Cruz told Fox News Digital that Fauci has demonstrated "contempt for Congress and contempt for the American people for decades" and that his private diaries show he "deliberately lied to the American people over and over and over again."
The Senator's statements come as Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul announced his intention to seek contempt charges against Fauci for refusing to answer questions during the hearing. Cruz remarked that Fauci "ought to think about what it says about the end of his career, that what he will be remembered for the most is pleading the fifth more than 100 times." He further labeled Fauci as "the most damaging bureaucrat in the history of America."
Cruz and Fauci have a history of public disagreements regarding Fauci's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and allegations of dishonesty about the virus's origins. Cruz pointed to Fauci's diary entries, which he claims show Fauci initially considered a laboratory origin for COVID-19 as a possibility worthy of expert review, only to later downplay such theories publicly. "In his diary, he wrote early on that it was clear that the COVID virus did not come from the wet market in Wuhan and then he turned around and said exactly the opposite thing on national television," Cruz stated.
Additionally, Cruz accused Fauci of misleading the public about his role in school closures. According to Cruz, Fauci's diary indicates he persuaded New York and California officials to close their school systems. However, Fauci publicly stated on multiple occasions, including testimony to the House Oversight Committee, that he "did not close the schools." Cruz criticized the school shutdowns, arguing that they were "the single most destructive public policy step we've seen in decades" and that the resulting learning loss will have lifelong consequences for students.
"The fact that he knew he was lying to the American people — he should be held in contempt, he should be prosecuted for perjury and he should go to jail," Cruz concluded.