Anthony Fauci refuses to answer questions during US Senate hearing discussing Covid origins - BBC

What the report says

BBC News reported that Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, declined to answer questions at a tense US Senate hearing on the origins of Covid-19. Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times, saying on advice from his lawyers that he feared Republican lawmakers could seek to catch him in a contradiction and pursue a perjury case.

The hearing was chaired by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a longtime critic of Fauci’s handling of pandemic-related questions. Paul continued questioning him and said the committee would vote next week on a contempt of Congress resolution. Fauci, 85, accused Paul of calling the hearing as part of an effort to justify public demands that he be prosecuted. Fauci has previously denied Republican allegations that he concealed information or misled the public.

BBC reported that Fauci received a pre-emptive pardon from former President Joe Biden covering federal exposure for actions between 2014 and 2025, but the article noted he could still face potential legal risk for later conduct or under state and local law. One of Fauci’s lawyers, David Schertler, was removed after attempting to intervene during questioning and later criticized the proceeding.

The hearing reflects continuing US political conflict over pandemic decisions and the unresolved question of Covid’s origin. Paul has promoted the lab-leak theory involving Wuhan, while the World Health Organization has described animal-to-human spillover as the best-supported explanation based on available evidence, though still not conclusive. Democrats including Senator Maggie Hassan defended Fauci, saying the hearing appeared designed to entrap him.