Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right to refuse questions from lawmakers, during a high-profile hearing before the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) on Wednesday.

Republicans, as they have in the past, were set to grill the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and leader of America's Covid-19 response on a myriad of conspiratorial claims about the pandemic.

In his opening statement, Fauci, who has appeared before multiple congressional bodies in the past, told the committee that given Committee Chair Rand Paul's  obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution,  the  only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up - in his words -  behind bars.' 

 Any reasonable person who has followed his unhinged obsession with me would readily come to the same conclusion,  he added.  Therefore although it pains me to do so - because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government, and my decades-long record of cooperating with Congress - under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions. 

Fauci accuses Rand Paul of having an  unhinged obsession with calling for my prosecution  and of making  repeated slanderous comments,  then says  although it pains me to do so … under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the 5th Amendment to refrain from… pic.twitter.com/nhXwMaavzL - Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 29, 2026

Throughout Paul's questioning, Fauci repeatedly deferred to his constitutional right to refuse the senator's questions. Before handing off the line of questioning to the committee, Paul berated Fauci and threatened him with consequences.

 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,  Paul said.  It's against 

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