&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US Senate panel recommends contempt action against Anthony Fauci over Covid hearing")
A Republican-led US Senate committee on Thursday (August 06) approved a motion to hold former top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he refused to answer questions during a hearing on the Covid-19 pandemic.
Fauci, 85, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during his appearance before the Senate Homeland Security Committee last week. His lawyers advised him not to respond to questions from Republican lawmakers.
The committee questioned Fauci over allegations that information related to the origins of the Covid 19 pandemic had been concealed. Fauci declined to answer, citing his constitutional rights.
Ahead of the hearing, committee chairman Senator Rand Paul released thousands of pages from Fauci's personal diary.
Fauci later said his legal team believed the questioning was designed to draw him into statements that could expose him to perjury charges. Based on that advice, he chose to remain silent throughout the hearing.
Contempt recommendation heads to Justice Department
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The contempt recommendation was approved along party lines following an initiative led by Rand Paul, who had earlier subpoenaed Fauci to testify. Paul said he plans to forward the committee's recommendation directly to the Justice Department, which will decide whether to take further action.
The move departs from the usual process, under which contempt resolutions are generally considered by the full Senate before being referred further. The decision could raise legal and political questions for President Donald Trump's administration.
Also Read: PM Modi's foreign visits cost ₹74.59 crore in 2026 till July; 2025 recorded highest spending
Democrats slam committee's decision
Democratic lawmakers on the panel opposed the contempt vote and questioned the way the investigation had been conducted.
Senator Gary Peters described it as a "rushed investigation."
He said the vote could “harm our ability to conduct future investigations and disregards constitutional protections long recognised by the US Senate, all without making a reliable case that there is a legal basis for holding Dr Fauci in contempt.”
The hearing marked another chapter in the long-running dispute between Fauci and Rand Paul over the origins of Covid-19. Paul has repeatedly alleged, without substantiated evidence, that the pandemic originated in a laboratory and that its origins were concealed.
