Dr. Anthony Fauci declines request to appear before a second Senate panel after GOP contempt vote
Dr. Anthony Fauci on Friday declined a request to appear voluntarily before a second Senate panel after majority Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee voted along partisan lines last week to hold the longtime infectious disease expert in contempt.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has declined a request to voluntarily appear before a second Senate panel after Republican lawmakers voted to hold him in contempt. The decision comes after a contentious July 29 hearing, where Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 100 times. This prompted a contempt vote on August 6, leading to a referral to the Justice Department for potential investigation into whether Fauci properly exercised his constitutional rights.
Republican Senator Rand Paul, the committee chairman, claimed that Democratic President Joe Biden's preemptive pardon of Fauci meant he was immune from prosecution, despite Paul's ongoing accusations of Fauci misleading the public during the pandemic. Senator Ron Johnson, who chairs the subcommittee on investigations, aimed to initiate a separate congressional inquiry into Fauci's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Written by urgent.news from CityNews's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
