Dr. Anthony Fauci has declined a request to voluntarily testify before a second Senate committee, which has extended the ongoing Republican inquiry into his management of the coronavirus pandemic.
Fauci’s legal representatives turned down a request from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who leads the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. They argued that compelling Fauci to testify again, following the contentious hearing on July 29, would be tantamount to “inexcusable harassment and defamation of Dr. Fauci for political reasons.”
Johnson’s investigation is parallel to another effort looking into Fauci and the government’s actions regarding the pandemic, particularly focusing on the safety and efficacy of the vaccines produced for COVID-19.
This refusal follows a party-line vote last week among Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee members to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress. This was mainly due to him invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination over a hundred times during the earlier hearing.
Committee Chair Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is attempting to bypass a full Senate vote to refer the contempt charge directly to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
“We have solid legal arguments, and we will present them to the Department of Justice when we submit the reference letter,” Paul stated to Fox News Digital prior to last week’s vote on contempt.
A key point of contention is whether Fauci can still invoke the Fifth Amendment after former President Joe Biden granted him a preemptive pardon before leaving office.
Paul contended that Biden’s pardon eliminated any risk of federal prosecution, which, he argues, weakens Fauci’s claims of needing to refuse questions.
Fauci and his legal team, however, disagree with this interpretation.
Paul, who has long focused on Fauci’s involvement in the government’s response to COVID-19, has accused Fauci of funding “dangerous” research that he claims led to a possible coronavirus lab leak in China.
Additionally, Paul has repeatedly called for Fauci to face prosecution.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s subcommittee has acquired records pertinent to Fauci and the pandemic response. Fox News Digital has confirmed that the Department of Health and Human Services provided a copy of Fauci’s cell phone from the pandemic period to the subcommittee.
A broader Department of Homeland Security committee has also received over 1,000 pages from Fauci’s personal diary before the hearing in July.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Johnson’s office about potential plans to subpoena Fauci following his rejection, as well as contacting Paul’s office for comments and seeking clarification from Fauci’s attorney, David Schertler, on whether Fauci would comply with such a subpoena.
