Infectious disease expert and former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Dr. Anthony Fauci declined to answer any questions as he appeared for a committee hearing on Wednesday and faced GOP criticism about his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment and repeatedly answered with a single statement as he continued to face questions from Republicans in the committee.
“On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer, based on my rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution,” Fauci said in response to every question he faced at the hearing, per the Associated Press.
Why did Anthony Fauci get subpoenaed to testify at the hearing?
Fauci was called to testify in the hearing on Wednesday as Republicans continue to allege that he lied about the origins of the coronavirus and used the pandemic to boost his own fame and fortune. The 85-year-old scientist has also received blame from Republicans for encouraging the use of masks during the pandemic, as well as closures of schools and businesses and vaccine mandates.
Kentucky senator and committee chair Rand Paul, who subpoenaed Fauci, released private emails and documents from the infectious disease expert as he accused him of lying about the coronavirus. Paul pointed to one document from 2020 in which Fauci says scientists didn’t have “total agreement” about the virus’s origins. However, Fauci later writes that he “is almost certain that the virus evolved naturally from a species jump.”
“I keep an open mind about the possibility of a lab leak,” Fauci added in the document, per NPR. “Just because two alternatives are possible that does not mean that they are equally probable.”
What did Anthony Fauci say in his opening statement?
Fauci opened Wednesday’s hearing with an opening statement and made it clear that he will not answer any questions at the meeting.
“The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason (Paul) 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, quote, behind bars, unquote,” Fauci said, adding that he will follow his attorney’s advice and take the Fifth.