Why did Anthony Fauci invoke the Fifth Amendment? Senate hearing explained - Al Jazeera

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing reporting with The Associated Press, reports that Dr Anthony Fauci repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination during a Republican-led Senate hearing on Wednesday into COVID-19’s origins and the US pandemic response. Fauci, 85, formerly led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and later served as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser before retiring in 2022.

The hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee was led by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a longtime critic of Fauci. Paul has questioned whether US-funded research in Wuhan, China, was connected to the outbreak and has accused Fauci of misleading Congress, claims Fauci denies. Al Jazeera reported that Fauci declined to answer more than 100 questions after advice from his lawyers, who argued that new testimony under oath could create fresh legal exposure.

A key issue is the scope of a preemptive pardon Biden granted Fauci in January 2025 for possible federal offenses dating back to 2014. Republicans argue the pardon would not cover any alleged false statements made after it was issued, including at the latest hearing. Paul said the committee would consider a contempt vote next week over Fauci’s refusal to answer, while Democrats described the proceeding as politically driven.

The dispute matters because it keeps congressional attention on unresolved questions around pandemic oversight, federal research funding and COVID-19’s origins. Al Jazeera noted that many scientists favor a natural spillover explanation, while parts of the US intelligence community have assessed a lab-related incident as possible, in some cases with low confidence.