Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment 111 times at Senate hearing

Former National Institutes of Health official Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times during a contentious Senate hearing on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, declining to answer any questions about his role in the nation's COVID-19 pandemic response. The hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, led by Chairman Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), followed the release of more than 1,000 pages of Fauci's personal diaries from the pandemic era.

Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stated he was acting on the advice of counsel. He repeatedly used a standard response, telling lawmakers he respectfully declined to answer based on his constitutional rights. Senators pressed him on topics including the origins of COVID-19, federal funding for research in China, and his private communications. His refusals extended to basic questions, such as the day of the week and the color of his tie, posed by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).

Republican committee members argued that a presidential pardon Fauci received from former President Joe Biden in January 2025 nullified his...