Senate panel holds Fauci in contempt over refusal to answer COVID-19 questions
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Add Axios on Google Fauci at a July 29 Senate hearing on COVID origins. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
A Senate panel voted Thursday to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt for repeatedly declining to answer questions last week from lawmakers investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why it matters: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has said he will refer the contempt resolution to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution.
The big picture: The 8-5 vote by the Senate Homeland Security Committee is just one of the ways Republicans are turning up the heat on Fauci.
Driving the news: Paul said Fauci had no reason to invoke his Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions from the Senate committee last week, since Biden had already pardoned him for actions during the time when he led the nation's infectious disease efforts.
Between the lines: The Department of Justice isn't saying whether it will investigate — yet. "The Department seriously reviews all congressional referrals," a DOJ spokesperson said.
At last week's hearing, Fauci said Paul had an "unhinged obsession with me," and was trying to get him to say something that could advance public pledges to put him behind bars.
What we're watching: Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon has suggested the Fauci inquiry could resonate politically and help turn out the Republican base, by suggesting government scientists are still captive to pharmaceutical and other special interests.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the DOJ response.
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