Fauci refuses voluntary testimony before second Senate panel

Dr. Anthony Fauci has declined a request to voluntarily testify before a second Senate panel, following a partisan contempt vote by Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee last week.

In a letter to Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, Fauci's lawyer argued that compelling his appearance before a Senate subcommittee would constitute an attempt to "impermissibly harass or degrade Dr. Fauci for political purposes."

The refusal comes after a contentious July 29 hearing on Fauci's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which he invoked the Fifth Amendment 100 times. That prompted the August 6 contempt vote and a referral to the Justice Department to examine whether he had properly exercised his constitutional rights.

Senator Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the committee and pushed for the contempt finding, argued the Fifth Amendment protection was unnecessary because President Joe Biden had issued a preemptive pardon to Fauci, eliminating any concern about prosecution.

Paul has long accused Fauci of misleading the public during the pandemic and has repeatedly called for his prosecution and imprisonment. Johnson, who chairs the investigations subcommittee, had sought to open a parallel inquiry into Fauci's role in the pandemic response, including the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.