Dr. Anthony Fauci, the now-retired infectious-disease expert, has invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify in a Senate hearing about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci was subpoenaed by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has long had a fraught relationship with Fauci and led the charge seeking that he testify under oath about his role in containing the pandemic.

Background of the Hearing

The move injects new drama into the lingering tensions between Fauci and Republican lawmakers over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and accusations he lied about the origins of COVID-19, which he denies. Fauci has become a target of those frustrations, but to his supporters, he is an emblem of sound scientific expertise.

In his prepared remarks, Fauci says Paul has an “obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution.” Fauci’s decision to invoke the Fifth Amendment may sidestep calls for his prosecution if he is accused of lying at the hearing, but it may also further inflame partisan divides that have festered for years about the origins and handling of the pandemic.

Scientific Community Support

Scientists have scrambled to Fauci’s defense ahead of the unusual hearing — the second time the longtime National Institutes of Health scientist has been back before Congress to discuss pandemic origins since leaving the government in 2022. More than 150 infectious-disease experts and other scientists wrote that “no credible evidence has been produced to support these absurd charges” and that they are “urging our elected representatives in Congress to stop these witch-hunts.”

Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.