On Thursday, August 7, 2026, the Senate Homeland Security Committee voted 8 to 5 to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. The resolution arose after Fauci refused to answer questions during his testimony last week, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in response to every question posed during a subpoenaed hearing investigating the origins of COVID-19.

Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who has long accused Fauci of misleading the public about the pandemic's source, stated, "Holding a witness in contempt is a serious thing, and it should be rare, but the contempt power exists for precisely this circumstance."

Ahead of the hearing, Paul released over 1,000 pages of Fauci's journal entries from his tenure leading the government's COVID-19 response. Fauci responded by accusing Paul of using the committee to elicit statements that could justify Paul's previous public threats to see Fauci imprisoned, saying, "The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, quote, 'behind bars.'"

The vote split along party lines, with all Democrats opposing the contempt resolution and two additional Democrats opposing by proxy. Critics of the resolution described it as "a crude political stunt intended to punish Dr. Fauci for exercising his constitutional rights." A statement from Schertler highlighted Fauci's 50 years in public health and his contributions, noting he "has saved countless lives."

Democrats also condemned Sen. Paul's actions, calling it "shameful and wrong" that he is "abusing his power by trying to weaponize the Justice Department against an honorable public servant."

The committee is seeking to bypass a full Senate floor vote by referring the contempt resolution directly to the Department of Justice.

Sources