Senate Holds Dr. Fauci in Contempt Amid Controversial Hearing
WHO:
ABC7 Chicago - Dr. Anthony Fauci, Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, Republican Sen. Rand Paul, President Joe Biden.
WHAT:
Sportskeeda - Evander Kane reacted to the Senate committee's vote to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress.
Fox News - The contempt vote raises complex legal questions about the validity of Fauci's Fifth Amendment claims against Biden's pardon.
Fortune - The contempt resolution is seen as a potential precedent for witnesses to refuse to appear in future congressional hearings.
Fortune - The Senate committee's contempt resolution against Dr. Anthony Fauci is set to be referred directly to the Department of Justice for potential investigation.
Fortune - Republican Sen. Rand Paul stated, "Dr. Fauci faced no risk of federal prosecution. All he had to do was tell the truth."
Fortune - Fauci's lawyer, David Schertler, described the contempt resolution as "a continuation of Senator Paul’s personal vendetta against Dr. Fauci."
Fortune - The pardon from President Biden covered acts from 2014 through January 2025 but does not shield Fauci from state-level prosecutions or federal investigations into any testimony deemed false.
Fortune - Sen. Maggie Hassan stated that the goal was to wait for Dr. Fauci to make any misstatement, which could lead to criminal charges not covered by the pardon.
Fox News - Republican Sen. Rand Paul stated, "Dr. Fauci's assertion of the Fifth Amendment privilege was unsupported in light of the pardon and the testimony he offered in his opening statement."
ABC7 Chicago - Democratic Sen. Gary Peters criticized the contempt vote, stating, "This resolution will not provide the committee with any additional information, or compel Dr. Fauci to provide answers to our inquiries."
ABC7 Chicago - Peters also condemned Paul's suggestion of possibly referring the contempt resolution directly to the Department of Justice, calling it "even more dangerous and widely unprecedented move."
ABC7 Chicago - The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress.
ABC7 Chicago - The committee's vote was 8-5 along party lines.
Fox News - Dr. Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during the hearing.
ABC7 Chicago - The contempt resolution is unlikely to pass in the full Senate, which requires 60 votes.
WHERE:
ABC7 Chicago - The hearing took place at the Capitol in Washington.
WHEN:
ABC7 Chicago - The vote occurred on a Thursday following a hearing last week.
ABC7 Chicago - Dr. Fauci appeared before the Senate committee on July 29, 2026.
WHY:
Fortune - Sen. Maggie Hassan stated that the goal was to wait for Dr. Fauci to make any misstatement that could lead to criminal charges not covered by the pardon.
Fortune - Democratic senators argued that Fauci had a well-founded fear of self-incrimination due to Republicans' publicly stated desire to see him prosecuted in connection with COVID.
ABC7 Chicago - The contempt vote was prompted by Fauci's refusal to answer questions regarding his role in handling the COVID-19 pandemic and its origins.
Fox News - Republican Sen. Rand Paul stated that Fauci could not plead the Fifth Amendment due to a preemptive pardon issued by President Biden.
HOW:
Fortune - Sen. Rand Paul intends to send the contempt referral directly to the Justice Department, bypassing the full Senate.
Fortune - Paul intends to send the referral directly to the Justice Department, leaving it up to the U.S. attorney in Washington to decide on potential prosecution for contempt.
ABC7 Chicago - Democrats attempted to table the resolution but were unsuccessful.
ABC7 Chicago - Sen. Rand Paul indicated that the committee could refer the contempt resolution directly to the Department of Justice after the vote.
Evander Kane has responded to the Senate committee's recent vote to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress, which raises complex legal questions regarding the validity of Fauci's Fifth Amendment claims in light of President Biden's pardon. Democratic senators, including Sen. Maggie Hassan, have expressed that the intent behind the vote is to wait for any misstatements from Fauci that could lead to criminal charges not covered by that pardon, while Republicans have voiced a desire to see him prosecuted in connection with COVID. In a significant move, Sen. Rand Paul plans to send the contempt referral directly to the Justice Department, bypassing the full Senate.