Fauci Finally Faces Congress - and Immediately Pleads the Fifth

On Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) held a hearing to hold former NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci accountable for his role in the COVID-19 pandemic, gain-of-function research, and recently exposed diary entries that contradict much of what Fauci promoted and purported during the COVID pandemic.

As prognosticated by some, and perhaps not terribly surprising, after Fauci was sworn in, he promptly chose to plead the Fifth.

Fauci said:

However, given Sen. Paul's obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution, his repeated slanderous comments about me, and recently, his publicly releasing my unredacted personal diary aimed at embarrassing and intimidating me, 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, "behind bars." Any reasonable person who has followed his unhinged obsession with me would readily come to the same conclusion. Therefore, 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 5th Amendment to the Constitution, to refrain from answering your questions. 

Thank you.

WATCH:

🚨 After saying Sen. Rand Paul is obsessed with him, Dr. Fauci says he will invoke his right to remain silent and not answer questions from the Senate committee. pic.twitter.com/xYk9opMQE7

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) July 29, 2026

Paul forged ahead with his questions. The second question Paul asked was whether Fauci would acknowledge whether there is a red folder in front of him. Fauci refused to answer based on his Fifth Amendment rights. There was audible laughter in the gallery, and Fauci looked decidedly uncomfortable and looked over at his attorney. 

Investigative journalist Catherine Herridge is attending the hearing and suggests this opens the door to challenge the Biden Pardon.

Fauci -- Under advice of his attorneys "invokes the Fifth"

Opens the door to testing the Biden Pardon.@SenRandPaul “…Witness has refused to answer he has a folder in front of him based on his Fifth Amedment rights. (rough log)” pic.twitter.com/WPfUXFOQtA

— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) July 29, 2026

This is a developing story. 

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