On Wednesday morning, July 29, 2026, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing with Anthony Fauci on Capitol Hill that quickly became contentious. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) ordered one of Fauci’s lawyers, David Schertler, to be removed after he repeatedly disrupted the hearing by attempting to speak without being recognized.

Fauci himself refused to answer questions from Senator Paul, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights multiple times. Paul warned, "If you are unruly, you will be removed from the proceeding," prompting applause from several people in the gallery.

Paul identified Schertler as one of Fauci’s "half a dozen" lawyers present at the hearing. Despite the removal, it was noted that Fauci would continue to have the advice of his other attorneys. The hearing also touched on newly exposed diary entries revealing that Fauci privately took credit for COVID-19 lockdowns despite publicly denying responsibility.

Senator Paul added that Slack messages released by his office appear to show authors of a key COVID-19 origin paper held private doubts, a point that drew interjections from Ranking Member Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.).

Paul remarked, "This is the way Anthony Fauci wants to be remembered for a lawyer not listening to the rules. That's the way you want to be remembered, and that's what you're going to do." Fauci’s testimony was described as serious, emphasizing, "This is not a game with his lawyers."

The hearing underscored ongoing tensions surrounding Fauci’s role and accountability during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources