{
  "id": 28350,
  "title": "Fauci invokes 5th Amendment right during GOP-led hearing on COVID origins",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/29/fauci-invokes-5th-amendment-right-during-gop-led-hearing-on-covid",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-07-29T22:55:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PBS NewsHour Health",
    "slug": "pbs-newshour-health",
    "url": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/fauci-invokes-5th-amendment-right-during-gop-led-hearing-on-covid-origins"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dr. Anthony Fauci, the prominent figure in America's COVID response, repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment rights during a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday. The Republican-led hearing, chaired by Senator Rand Paul, aimed to investigate the origins of COVID-19 and whether Fauci misled Congress and the public. Fauci labeled Paul's pursuit of him an \"unhinged obsession.\" A tense moment unfolded on Capitol Hill as Fauci refused to answer questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights over 100 times to protect himself from self-incrimination. The hearing, which took place under a congressional subpoena, saw Fauci testify for the first time since former President Biden pardoned him on his last day in office. Fauci, who led the White House response for Presidents Trump and Biden, is now retired from government service. He appeared before the committee to respond to accusations of a cover-up and alleged manipulation of data regarding the virus's origin. Senator Rand Paul criticized Fauci for his private writings suggesting the virus originated in a lab in Wuhan, China, while publicly claiming it started with animal-to-human contact at a live animal market near the lab. Fauci defended his record of cooperation with Congress, but declined to answer multiple questions, citing his right to remain silent under the Fifth Amendment.",
  "summary": "Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of America's COVID response, repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right before a Senate committee on Wednesday. The hearing, chaired by Republican Sen. Rand Paul, was meant to probe the origins of COVID-19 and whether Fauci misled Congress and the public. Fauci called Paul's pursuit of him an \"unhinged obsession.\" Ali Rogin reports.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Your Local Epidemiologist",
        "title": "Covid-19 waking up, Cyclospora marches on, and measles is close to hitting a milestone",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/21/covid-19-waking-up-cyclospora-marches-on-and-measles-is-close-to",
        "published": "2026-07-21T10:30:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Science Magazine",
        "title": "Under fire from Republican senators, Fauci takes the Fifth at COVID-19 hearing",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/29/under-fire-from-republican-senators-fauci-takes-the-fifth-at-covid-19",
        "published": "2026-07-29T06:35:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "PBS NewsHour Health",
        "title": "WATCH: Fauci invokes 5th Amendment in GOP-led hearing about COVID-19 origins",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/29/watch-fauci-invokes-5th-amendment-in-gop-led-hearing-about-covid-19",
        "published": "2026-07-29T12:38:51.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}