ANTHONY FAUCI INVOKES FIFTH AMENDMENT DURING SENATE HEARING ON COVID-19 ORIGINS AND PANDEMIC RESPONSE QUESTIONS. (PHOTO).

 Anthony Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment during Senate hearing on COVID-19 origins and pandemic response questions

    Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment rights Wednesday during a Senate hearing, refusing to answer questions about the COVID-19 pandemic, its origins and his actions while leading the nation’s response.

Fauci appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee as lawmakers examined issues surrounding the pandemic and his former role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

In his opening remarks, Fauci said he made the decision on the advice of his attorneys, despite his long history of cooperating with Congress. He said he had testified or briefed lawmakers more than 200 times during his nearly four decades leading the agency.

Fauci accused committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., of repeatedly targeting him and said he believed the hearing was intended to get him to provide statements that could support calls for criminal prosecution.

During the hearing, Paul questioned Fauci about personal journal entries from 2019 through 2022 and the origins of COVID-19, but Fauci declined to respond.

The hearing briefly became tense when Fauci’s attorney, David Schertler, attempted to speak after Paul’s questioning. Paul told the attorney he was not recognized to address the committee and warned that he could be removed from the hearing. Shortly afterward, Capitol Police escorted Schertler from the room.

Republican lawmakers questioned Fauci about statements they said conflicted with information in his personal writings and raised concerns about the handling of the pandemic response.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., questioned Fauci about a journal entry regarding a 2020 reopening plan from the Trump administration, asking whether Fauci had been truthful in his own writings. Fauci again declined to answer.

Other Republican senators questioned Fauci about the possibility that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory, but he continued to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights.

Democratic members of the committee defended Fauci’s decision, arguing that he had the constitutional right to decline answering questions and criticizing the hearing as politically motivated.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said focusing blame on Fauci ignored the broader responsibility shared by officials from multiple administrations during the pandemic.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., defended Fauci’s public service and accused Republicans of portraying him as a villain, arguing that attacks on public health officials could undermine future responses to health emergencies.

Fauci has faced intense scrutiny and criticism since the COVID-19 pandemic, including investigations and political disputes over his handling of public health guidance, vaccine policies and the origins of the virus.