Republican lawmakers are intensifying calls for greater scrutiny of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s pandemic-era decisions and public statements.
Fauci refused to answer questions from members of a Senate committee at a hearing on Wednesday about his actions as the government’s top infectious disease expert during the COVID pandemic.
Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul lit into Fauci to begin the hearing and threatened “repercussions” for Fauci for invoking his 5th Amendment right to refuse to answer questions.
“Dr. Fauci, would you like to at least answer this one question for us today and let us know whether or not you’ve changed your mind on whether or not the benefits of gain-of-function research outweigh the risks?” Rand asked.
“On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer, based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution,” Fauci replied.
“The chairman has denied your assertion of privilege and directed you to answer, but you nonetheless refuse and stand on privilege despite the existence of the pardon,” Paul shot back.
Paul declared: “The committee will have to consider, after this hearing, what appropriate action should be taken against you for the failure to testify after being directed to do so. It’s against the law to obstruct an investigation of Congress. There will be repercussions to your refusal to testify today.”
Paul has long argued that Fauci should see prison time, alleging he lied to Congress as far back as 2021.
“It’s a felony punishable by five years in jail,” Paul told Fox News host Sean Hannity in September of 2021.
“I don’t think Biden Department of Justice will do anything with it, but … it is very dangerous to have public officials who we need to have trust in coming and lying to us. But he has lied dozens of times. Usually he tells us it’s for our own good,” Paul said.
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Things also got heated when Paul removed one of Fauci’s lawyers from the hearing after the lawyer repeatedly talked over Paul to defend Fauci, even though he had not been invited to speak.
“You will respect these proceedings. You were told not to sit at the table. You insist on sitting at the table. And we told you you would not be recognized. You are not invited here for testimony, sir. You are being disruptive,” Paul declared.
“Would you behave this way in a courtroom? No, because the judge would put you in jail. I can’t do that today, but I can have you escorted from the premises,” Paul added.
“So I would say, sir, sit quietly and don’t say another word. I said sit quietly. You are not recognized. Another word and you’re gone,” Paul declared.
After another back-and-forth and the attorney’s refusal to listen, Paul then had security remove him from the room.
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Before the hearing, President Donald Trump lashed out at Fauci.
“‘Operation Warp Speed’ was a SPECTACULAR SUCCESS, in fact, many say, one of the most successful things ever done by an American President. I overrode Fauci on this. His ideas were CRAZY,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.
“I Inherited Fauci, who was there since the 1980’s, but with each passing day, relied less and less on him. He made too many bad calls, like on MASKS. Remember at the beginning he was an anti-masker. He then switched to a super-masker. In any event I didn’t let him shut the Country down, although he wanted to,” Trump continued.
