Fauci could face prison if convicted of contempt, former prosecutor says
As the US Department of Justice weighs whether to prosecute Anthony Fauci, medical experts say his persecution is weakening America's health system.
Former US federal prosecutor Amanda Vaughn told the news outlet that a contempt charge against medical expert Anthony Fauci was possible. She noted that there is some case law in Dr Fauci's favor, but the current environment is different, so the Department of Justice's actions remain to be seen. If convicted, Dr Fauci could potentially face prison time.
Dr Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination over 100 times during the Senate committee hearing, which some have described as a show trial. Republican senators accuse Dr Fauci of hiding evidence about COVID-19 vaccine dangers, destroying trust in health institutions, and possibly even creating the pandemic through US funding of a Chinese lab in Wuhan.
However, experts argue that the pandemic was caused by a zoonotic outbreak from an animal source. Dr Fauci led the US scientific response to COVID-19 and advocated for mask-wearing, social distancing, and vaccination. His actions have been criticized for imposing on individual freedoms and hindering trust in vaccines, leading to declining vaccination rates and increased vaccine misinformation.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
