Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky introduced a resolution Tuesday to hold former government scientist Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress following a tense Senate committee hearing where Fauci repeatedly declined to answer questions.
The resolution comes after Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times during a July 29 Senate hearing. Despite appearing under a congressional subpoena, Fauci declined to answer inquiries regarding National Institutes of Health research funding in Wuhan, China, high-risk virology research, and interactions between the agency and the intelligence community.
Fauci also declined to answer basic procedural and routine questions during the proceedings, including queries about the color of his tie, the day of the week, and documents on the desk in front of him.
“On advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution,” Fauci repeated throughout the session in response to Paul’s questioning.
The dispute over Fauci’s testimony centers on a pardon issued by President Joe Biden on Jan. 19, 2026, covering any potential offenses committed from Jan. 1, 2014, to the date of the presidential order. Paul’s resolution contends that because Fauci received a full grant of executive clemency for that period, the constitutional privilege against self-incrimination no longer applies to those years.
Additionally, the resolution asserts that Fauci waived his Fifth Amendment protections by delivering an opening statement to the committee prior to questioning.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is scheduled to vote on the contempt resolution Thursday, according to an agenda posted on the committee’s official website.
If approved by the panel and the full Senate, the matter would be forwarded to federal prosecutors.
According to the text of the resolution, “The President of the Senate shall certify the report of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, detailing the refusal of Dr. Anthony S. Fauci to answer questions pertinent to the subject under inquiry, to the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, to the end that Dr. Fauci be proceeded against in the manner and form provided by law.”
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