Anthony Fauci faces contempt vote after taking Fifth

Anthony Fauci faces a possible contempt vote after invoking the Fifth Amendment during adversarial Senate questioning on Wednesday about the origins of Covid-19.

Fauci, the former top US infectious disease official, appeared before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs after being subpoenaed by Republican Senator Rand Paul. Paul has accused Fauci of directing US funding for research in China that triggered the spread of Covid-19 and of lying to Congress. Fauci has repeatedly denied the accusations.

Fauci said lawyers had advised him not to answer questions to avoid self-incrimination. He said Paul's purpose was to get him to say something that could support Paul's public pledges that he should end up "behind bars."

Fauci, 85, said it pained him to invoke the constitutional right. He said he had testified before Congress more than 200 times over nearly four decades and believed in legitimate congressional oversight.

Paul had released thousands of pages of Fauci's personal diary before the hearing. The excerpts included Fauci's comments about the escalating public health crisis, his relationship with Donald Trump during the pandemic and the public pressure that came with his prominence.

During the approximately three-hour hearing, Paul warned Fauci of "repercussions" for invoking the Fifth Amendment. When Fauci's lawyer attempted to speak for him, Paul ordered him removed. As the hearing closed, Paul said the committee would vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress.

Several Democratic senators criticised the proceedings. Maggie Hassan said the hearing was designed to entrap Fauci, while Richard Blumenthal called it a "vendetta" and said use of the Fifth Amendment must be respected.

Tracey Maclin, a University of Florida law professor, told AFP that invoking the Fifth Amendment was not an indication of guilt.

Before the hearing, more than 150 scientists, physicians and public health activists signed an open letter calling on lawmakers to stop what they called the vilification and harassment of scientists.

US President Donald Trump also commented on Truth Social, saying Fauci's ideas in the early days of the pandemic were "CRAZY!" and accusing him of trying to protect China. Former president Joe Biden gave Fauci a preemptive pardon covering actions taken before that date.