Senate Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt Over COVID‑19 Hearing

Sun Sep 06 2026 02:52:05 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

US Senate committee decides to hold former CDC chief Anthony Fauci in contempt after he refused to answer questions during a COVID‑19 panel.

A party‑line vote by a Senate committee marked a rare move to designate former NIH director Anthony Fauci as a contempt of Congress. The motion opens a potential path for federal prosecutors to charge his refusal to comply with a subpoena. Fauci, protected by a 2025 pardon from President Biden, invoked the Fifth Amendment over 100 times in the hearing. Republican Senator Rand Paul led the effort, citing alleged secrecy about the pandemic’s origins. Democrats argue the charges are politically motivated and question the legitimacy of the contempt resolution.

A U.S. Senate committee on public health workers voted 82‑43 to hold former National Institutes of Health chief Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about his handling of the COVID‑19 pandemic. The vote was carried along party lines, clearing the way for the committee to refer the matter to the Justice Department for possible prosecution for non‑compliance with a congressional subpoena.

The motion is unlikely to be adopted by the full Senate, as it would require a 60‑vote majority in a chamber where Republicans hold 53 seats. However, the committee’s resolution narrows the time frame for legal action against Fauci, who was formerly protected by a federal pardon issued by former President Joe Biden.

During the hearing, Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self‑incrimination more than 100 times, arguing that Senator Rand Paul was threatening to put him "behind bars." In response, Fauci’s counsel described the motion as a "crude political stunt" aimed at punishing him for exercising a constitutional privilege.

Rand Paul, the Republican chair of the Committee on Health, Social Services and Nutrition, has long accused Fauci of concealing the pandemic’s origins and of funding a research lab in Wuhan, China. While most scientists trace the virus’s emergence to exposure to an infected animal, Paul’s allegations have fueled a partisan feud.

The Biden pardon granted protection from federal prosecution for Fauci’s actions between 2014 and 2025, but it does not shield actions taken after that period, including the refusal to comply with the Senate subpoena. Lawyers argue that the contempt resolution is legally sound and politically motivated rather than grounded in fact.

Schertler, Fauci’s attorney, called the motion "meritless and politically motivated," insisting that the former director possesses solid Fifth Amendment protection. "He has committed no crime," he asserted.

Contempt prosecution is rare. In 2024, two former Trump allies, Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, were convicted and sentenced to jail for contempt of Congress, marking the first such convictions in two decades.

The hearing, held on July 29, saw Fauci’s refusal to answer questions highlight the heightened partisan tensions that continue to shape the U.S. response to the pandemic. As the committee moves forward, the case underscores the complex intersection of science, politics, and constitutional law.