More than two years after leaving government, Dr. Anthony Fauci once again found himself at the center of a political firestorm.
The former White House chief medical adviser and longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases appeared Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where Republicans revisited many of their longstanding grievances over the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hearing, chaired by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), was expected to be contentious. It became even more so after Fauci refused to answer a single question, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 111 times during the roughly three-hour proceeding.
Rather than producing new testimony, the hearing largely became a platform for Republicans to criticize Fauci's handling of the pandemic, challenge his credibility and revisit debates over lockdowns, masking guidance and government authority during the public health emergency. Democrats, meanwhile, argued the hearing was designed less to uncover facts than to validate years of attacks against one of the nation's most recognizable public health officials.
The appearance came only days after Paul released more than 1,000 pages of Fauci's personal diary entries and work records. Fauci sharply criticized that decision before the hearing began, calling it an effort to intimidate and embarrass him.
Here are five major takeaways from Wednesday's hearing.
Fauci Never Answered a Single Question
Fauci signaled from the outset that lawmakers should not expect testimony.
In his opening remarks, he acknowledged Congress' oversight responsibilities and pointed out that he had appeared before lawmakers more than 200 times during a federal career spanning more than five decades. But this hearing, he argued, was fundamentally different.
"Given Sen. Paul's obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution, his repeated slanderous comments about me and recently his publicly releasing my unredacted personal diary aimed at embarrassing and intimidating me, the only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, 'behind bars,'" Fauci said.
From that point forward, every question received the same response.
Whether Republicans pressed him about pandemic policy, government communications or his own diary entries, Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment. Democrats also declined to question him, leaving long stretches of the hearing devoted almost entirely to statements from senators rather than testimony from the witness himself.
By the time the gavel fell, Fauci had remained silent on every substantive issue before the committee.
Republicans Used the Hearing to Renew Their Criticism
Fauci's silence did little to temper Republican frustration.
Instead, senators used nearly all of their allotted time to revisit accusations they have leveled against the infectious disease expert for years, arguing that his leadership during the pandemic caused lasting harm to the country.
Paul challenged Fauci's reliance on the Fifth Amendment, warning there would be "repercussions" for refusing to testify.
The tension escalated when Fauci's attorney, David Schertler, attempted to defend his client's decision. Paul interrupted him and instructed him to stop speaking. After Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-Mich.) attempted to use his own time to allow Schertler to respond, Paul refused. Capitol Police ultimately escorted the attorney from the hearing room.
Other Republicans sought to underscore their criticism in different ways.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) asked Fauci simple factual questions, including what day of the week it was and what color tie he was wearing. Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment after each question.
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) had an aide hand Fauci a pocket-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution as the hearing continued.
Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) also delivered blistering critiques of Fauci's pandemic leadership. Scott argued that "if we have another pandemic tomorrow, millions could die because of what you did."
Paul closed the hearing by expressing disappointment that Fauci had chosen not to testify.
"I really did want to hear from Dr. Fauci," he said. "I wanted to hear perhaps an apology, perhaps some semblance of being sorry for what happened or that judgement errors were made."
Instead, Paul called Fauci's refusal to answer questions "the capstone to Anthony Fauci's 40 years of abuse of power at NIH."
Democrats Said the Hearing Was Political Theater
While Republicans focused their attention on Fauci, Democrats directed theirs at Paul.
Opening the hearing, Peters argued the committee had already reached its conclusions before Fauci ever entered the room.
"This hearing appears to be a culmination of months of biased and selected efforts by the majority under the guise of a 'committee investigation' to basically legitimize a predetermined conclusion that was reached years ago," Peters said.
Rather than questioning Fauci directly, Democratic senators spent most of their time criticizing the hearing itself.
After Schertler was removed from the room, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) read a statement from the attorney accusing Paul of building a political campaign around prosecuting Fauci.
"You are single-minded and fixated on Dr. Fauci, seeing Dr. Fauci prosecuted for imaginary crimes. And you were so invested in that outcome that you have created a personal brand around it," Schertler's statement said.
Attendance reflected the partisan divide surrounding the hearing.
Every Republican member of the committee was present, while Democratic Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) were absent. Gallego had a previously scheduled appearance at the UnidosUS Annual Conference in Texas.
After the hearing concluded, Schertler issued another statement describing the proceedings as part of Paul's "public crusade" against Fauci.
Pandemic Lockdowns Again Became a Flashpoint
Years after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, debates over lockdowns and mask requirements remained front and center.
Several Republican senators argued Fauci's recommendations had encouraged state and local officials to impose restrictions that damaged businesses, schools and everyday life.
Moreno delivered one of the hearing's most emotional exchanges, recalling the arrest of a woman at an Ohio middle school football game in 2020 after she refused to wear a mask.
He said that incident ultimately convinced him to seek public office.
"Here I am sitting in front of you six years later, saying, who the f--- do you think you were for doing that?" Moreno asked.
Fauci again declined to respond.
Republicans also pointed to diary entries released by Paul in the days leading up to the hearing. Those records showed Fauci documenting conversations with elected officials during the early weeks of the pandemic.
In one March 15, 2020, entry, Fauci described speaking with then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio after public comments about COVID-19.
"I went on to tell him he should close the bars and restaurants in NYC," Fauci wrote. "He said that he would base this on my recommendation."
The diary also documented a similar exchange with an aide to California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Not every lawmaker framed the discussion in partisan terms.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who served as Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor during the pandemic, acknowledged the extraordinary challenges public officials faced while balancing public health with economic concerns.
"So, we were in the middle of all of that maelstrom, trying to find the right balance between protect life and protect the economics for all of it, and I'm not sure if we got it all right or wrong, but without a doubt, I can continue to question myself," Fetterman said.
The Political and Legal Fight Isn't Over
Although Fauci left the hearing without answering questions, Wednesday's confrontation is unlikely to mark the end of the dispute.
Paul announced afterward that he plans to move forward with contempt of Congress proceedings against Fauci for refusing to testify.
"The question of contempt will be voted on," Paul told reporters following the hearing.
He also reiterated that he has repeatedly recommended Fauci face criminal prosecution, while noting that neither the Biden Justice Department nor the Trump Justice Department pursued those referrals.
"All I can do is recommend prosecution. I can't initiate prosecution," Paul said.
Republicans also maintained that courts may ultimately have to determine whether someone who has received a presidential pardon can still invoke the Fifth Amendment under these circumstances.
"I think there's another legal question that the courts may have to decide upon and that is whether … you can still claim that you need protection from immunity when you've been protected, because Dr. Fauci isn't liable for anything as long as he tells the truth … All he had to do today was be honest," Paul said.
Blumenthal strongly disagreed, arguing that exercising a constitutional right should not expose someone to contempt charges.
"I'm perplexed that the chairman thinks that someone can be held in contempt for exercising a constitutional right," Blumenthal told reporters. "He was called before the committee, in fact, subpoenaed by a chairman who has said explicitly, repeatedly, that he wants to put this man behind bars."
If lawmakers hoped the hearing would settle lingering questions about the government's pandemic response, it accomplished little in that regard. Instead, it underscored how deeply divided Washington remains over COVID-19, Fauci's role during the crisis and the political battles that continue years after the height of the pandemic.
