Dr. Fauci Remains Silent at COVID Hearing: 'There's an Obsession Against Me, They Want Me in Prison'

Dr. Anthony Fauci remained silent at a Senate hearing initiated by Republican Senator Rand Paul, invoking his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. Fauci accused Paul of obsession and personal persecution, while Paul threatened to charge him with contempt of Congress. The background: a dispute over funding for research in China and the origin of the coronavirus.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 38 years and was the face of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, remained silent this afternoon (Wednesday) at a Senate hearing in Washington regarding his handling of the pandemic. The hearing was initiated by Republican Senator Rand Paul, one of Fauci's most prominent critics. Fauci explained his refusal to answer questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment right, stating that Paul and senior Trump administration officials are pursuing him out of "obsessiveness" and an attempt to prosecute him. In his opening statement, Fauci said: "Any reasonable person following his unbridled obsession with me would easily reach the same conclusion." Paul, for his part, threatened that the committee would vote next week on a finding that Fauci is guilty of contempt of Congress for refusing to testify. The background to the dispute is Republican claims that Fauci lied to the public about U.S. funding for research in China that may have created the coronavirus, which Fauci denies. Fauci received a sweeping pardon from President Biden the day before Trump returned to the White House, preventing prosecution for acts related to the pandemic.