Senate Committee Holds Fauci in Contempt After COVID Hearing

Sun Sep 06 2026 04:23:22 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A partisan vote has opened the door for potential contempt charges against former NIH chief Anthony Fauci, following his refusal to answer questions on the pandemic's handling.

In a party‑line vote, the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions deemed Anthony Fauci the subject of a contempt resolution, setting the stage for possible justice‑department referral. Fauci, who invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a July hearing, now faces a rare federal contempt allegation. The move follows a longstanding feud between Fauci and Republican Senator Rand Paul, who has charged that Fauci hid the pandemic’s origins and aided a Wuhan lab. Although President Joe Biden’s pardon shields Fauci from prosecution for actions before 2025, the contempt case could still proceed for the events after that date or under state laws. The outcome of the contempt resolution will hinge on an eventual full‑Senate vote, which currently requires a 60‑vote majority that Republicans cannot achieve alone.

In a showdown that mirrors the nation’s division over the pandemic, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions voted 19‑20 along party lines to hold former National Institutes of Health director Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress.

The resolution clears the committee’s way to refer Fauci to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution over his refusal to answer questions during a July hearing that scrutinized his conduct during COVID‑19.

Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege more than 100 times, arguing that Senator Rand Paul’s line of questioning was designed to get him “behind bars.” He told lawmakers that Paul’s motives were “political,” and that the committee was seeking a punishment rather than a substantive inquiry.

While Biden’s final‑day pardon in 2025 shields Fauci from federal prosecution for actions taken before that date, the contempt resolution may still apply to conduct after 2025 or under state law. The committee’s chair, Republican Senator Rand Paul, stated, “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.”

Opposing him, Democrat Senator Gary Peters described Paul’s move as a “rush investigation” and a “yearl‑long campaign” to prosecute Fauci. Fauci’s lawyer, David Schertler, called the resolution a “crude political stunt” and urged the full Senate to reject it, noting that “Dr Fauci has committed no crime.”

The pandemic’s origins remain contested. Paul has repeatedly alleged that Fauci concealed the Wuhan lab‑leak theory, whereas most scientists say zoonotic transmission is the more likely source. Debates continue over how the committee’s decision will affect Fauci’s future, with a full‑Senate vote required to finalize the contempt charge.

Historical precedent shows contempt prosecutions 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.

As the Senate faces a jurisdictional hurdle, the outcome will hinge on a 60‑vote majority. Republicans currently hold 53 seats, making the pathway to final approval unlikely unless the Senate expands its support for the resolution.