On Thursday, August 6, 2026, a Republican-controlled US Senate committee voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress following his repeated refusal to answer questions during a hearing on the government's Covid-19 response. Fauci, who served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for 38 years before retiring in 2022, invoked his Fifth Amendment rights dozens of times to avoid answering inquiries.

The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, chaired by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, approved referring a potential criminal case against Fauci to the US Department of Justice. Fauci accused Paul of having an "unhinged obsession" with him and suggested the senator aimed to "embarrass and intimidate" him, even attempting to put him "behind bars" due to his role in advocating pandemic restrictions such as masking and social distancing.

Paul denied trying to entrap Fauci, stating, "He had no liability if he told the truth." However, critics like Peters described the investigation as "one-sided and rushed," warning it could harm future inquiries.

The evening before the contempt vote, the US Department of Health and Human Services provided a copy of Fauci's phone to a Senate subcommittee, with Republican Ron Johnson of Wisconsin expressing hope that it would answer many questions Fauci declined to address during the hearing.

While the committee's contempt referral must be approved by the full Senate, this would likely require a 60-vote majority, necessitating Democratic support.

Fauci, 85, was pardoned by former President Joe Biden at the end of his presidency. During the hearing, he stated, "Although it pains me to do so, because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government and my decades-long record of cooperating with Congress, under the advice of my attorneys I will invoke my right under the fifth amendment of the constitution to refrain from answering your questions."

Sources