Dr. Anthony Fauci refused to answer questions Wednesday during a Senate hearing on his pandemic response, citing his Fifth Amendment right and legal counsel’s advice.
Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, faced lawmakers investigating his decision-making throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The hearing centered on his positions regarding potential treatments and the virus’s origins.
Senate Confrontation
Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson directly challenged Fauci’s past statements on hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, stating that evidence supported their use despite Fauci’s earlier claims otherwise. Johnson alleged Fauci limited access to these drugs to facilitate emergency authorizations for alternative medications.
Johnson also questioned whether Fauci’s recent booster vaccinations caused his recent illness, asking “I was just wondering whether it ever went through your mind that maybe … all those boosters you took might have caused that.”
Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul removed one of Fauci’s attorneys from the hearing after the lawyer repeatedly spoke without permission. “You will respect these proceedings. You were told not to sit at the table,” Paul said before having security escort the attorney out.
Political Response
Former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social before the hearing that more COVID deaths occurred under President Joe Biden than his administration. “‘Operation Warp Speed’ was a SPECTACULAR SUCCESS,” Trump wrote, referencing his vaccine development initiative.
Trump claimed he disagreed with Fauci’s early skepticism about the lab-origin theory, stating “I said from the beginning that the Virus came from the Wuhan Laboratory in China. Fauci strongly disagreed, always trying to protect China.”
This story has been updated. CNN’s Health and Politics teams contributed to this report.
