Breaking: Senate Committee Holds Fauci in Contempt of Congress

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has voted along party lines to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked the Fifth Amendment a whopping 111 times during his appearance last week before the committee.

All eight Republicans on the committee voted in favor of contempt, and all five Democrats voted against it.

Independent journalist Catherine Herridge was there for the markup and vote on the resolution drafted by committee chair Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), and noted Democrats were trying to "table" it and insisting that one of Fauci's attorneys should be allowed to address the committee.

Uh-Oh: Fauci's Worst Nightmare May Have Just Landed in the Hands of Senate Republicans

(As a reminder, one of Fauci's lawyers was booted out the hearing room last week after he tried to speak for his client despite not being a witness. Rand Paul was having none of it.)

FAUCI CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS RESOLUTION VOTE

PARTY LINE VOTE GOP - 8
DEM - 5

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee @HSGAC holds Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times at… pic.twitter.com/MSMYzlgbOH
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) August 6, 2026

FAUCI CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS RESOLUTION VOTE
PARTY LINE VOTE GOP - 8
DEM - 5
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee @HSGAC holds Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times at last week's hearing into COVID origins, vaccines and pandemic restrictions.
@SenRandPaul argued President Biden's preemptive pardon meant Fauci had no reasonable fear of criminal prosecution and should have answered senators' questions.
Chairman Paul said Fauci should be treated like any uncooperative witness.
Before the vote @SenRandPaul said he was prepared to make a criminal referral @DOJgov
Democrats tried to block or 'table' the resolution arguing Senator Paul was bypassing the full senate, his legal strategy was untested and the committee should hear from Fauci's attorney.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Declassified records reveal US taxpayer dollars funded high risk gain of function research at the Wuhan, much of it flowing through Fauci's NIH.
Fauci "diaries" indicate he knew as early as January 2020 that the science pointed toward a leak from the Wuhan lab, but publicly Fauci blamed the Wuhan wet market.
CONTEXT: With this vote, Fauci legal exposure grows.
Wednesday night @SenRonJohnson confirmed his investigations subcommittee had obtained a copy of Fauci's iPhone
Records, texts and other communications may answer lawmakers' questions that Fauci refused to answer last week.

Before the vote, Paul wrote on X that Democrats were trying to stall the vote because they'd "rather protect the “experts” than the American people."

As suspected, the Democrats are trying every angle to table the Fauci contempt vote.
Keep you posted.
So far there’s been motions put forward by Peters, Hassan, & Blumenthal. These people would rather protect the “experts” than the American people.

Sen. Paul kicked off the markup and vote by noting it is the constitutional duty of Congress to "compel compliance with its lawful demands." As RedState previously reported, Paul's goal is to refer Fauci to the Department of Justice for criminal contempt charges.

Oversight is not a courtesy this Committee extends or a favor a former official grants us. It is a constitutional obligation. And when voluntary cooperation ends, Congress must be able to compel compliance with its lawful demands.

That is Congress’s compulsory instrument. pic.twitter.com/Keu2QO59tC
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) August 6, 2026

On Wednesday evening, reports emerged that the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), had gotten ahold of a copy of the data from Fauci's COVID-era cell phone.

If Anthony Fauci was hoping for a peaceful retirement, it sure doesn't look like he's going to get one.

Editor's Note: Do you enjoy RedState's conservative reporting that takes on the radical Left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.

Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.