US Senate Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt Amid COVID‑19 Hearing

Sun Sep 06 2026 03:16:40 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

U.S. Senate committee votes to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress over his refusal to answer questions during a COVID‑19 panel, opening potential legal action.

The Senate panel’s 22‑3 vote to find former top health official Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress marks the first time the committee has formally directed a witness to testify. Fauci’s refusal to answer questions during the hearing—using his Fifth Amendment right over 100 times—has prompted the committee to seek legal action for non‑compliance. While President Biden’s 2025 pardon shields Fauci from federal prosecution for actions before 2025, an indictment could still follow for contempt or other post‑pardon offenses. Republican Chairman Rand Paul led the movement, citing alleged hidden origins of COVID‑19 and accusing Fauci of obstructing investigations; supporters argue the move is a political stunt.

US Senate Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt Amid COVID‑19 Hearing

U.S. Senate committee votes to hold former top health official Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress over his refusal to answer questions during a COVID‑19 panel, opening potential legal action.

The U.S. Senate panel’s 22‑3 vote to find Fauci in contempt, along strict party lines, cleared the way for the committee to refer the case to the Justice Department for possible prosecution. The resolution follows Fauci’s repeated use of the Fifth Amendment during the hearing, invoking a right against self‑incrimination more than 100 times and challenging a Republican senator’s purported attempt to “put him behind bars.”

While former President Joe Biden’s 2025 pardon protects Fauci from federal prosecution for COVID‑19 related actions before the end of 2025, the contempt finding could still lead to state or local charges, or federal action for any conduct after the pardon date. Republicans on the panel cited a long‑running campaign to prosecute Fauci, including Senator Rand Paul’s accusations that Fauci concealed the virus’s origins and funded a Wuhan research lab.

“The chair directed Anthony Fauci to answer. He refused,” Paul said ahead of the vote. “We are voting on whether a witness who has received the benefit of a federal pardon can be ordered by this committee to answer questions and then defy that order without consequence.”

The top Democrat on the panel, Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, denounced Paul’s “rushed investigation” and years‑long campaign to bring Fauci to trial. Fauci’s lawyers have repeatedly asserted that his Fifth Amendment privilege is solid legal ground, while the Justice Department remains silent on whether it will pursue a contempt case.

Historically, contempt convictions are rare. In 2024, former Trump allies Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro were convicted of contempt and sentenced to jail, the first such convictions since the 1980s. This latest vote illustrates the growing partisan focus on COVID‑19 policy and the legal battles surrounding the nation's most prominent public health figure.

By Bernd Debusmann Jr.