Fauci Pleads the Fifth at Senate Hearing

Former US chief infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci refused to answer questions from committee chairman Rand Paul during a Senate hearing on Wednesday. He invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution and accused the Republican senator of being obsessed with trying to put him in jail.

Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment in response to all 15 questions Paul asked him. The senator argued that former President Joe Biden's pardon did not grant Fauci immunity from refusing to testify and warned him of the consequences. During the hearing, Paul also ordered one of Fauci's attorneys to leave the room.

Paul has long called for Fauci to be indicted. He accuses Fauci of lying to Congress about funding for research in Wuhan and of participating in a cover-up regarding the origin of COVID-19. Fauci denies these allegations and maintains that he has always testified truthfully before Congress.

The origin of the virus remains unclear. The FBI has held the view since 2023 that the pandemic was likely caused by a lab leak in Wuhan. In January 2025, the CIA reached the same conclusion, albeit with a low degree of certainty. Four other US intelligence agencies and the National Intelligence Council, however, lean toward the theory that the virus was transmitted naturally.

(Reuters, bak)