Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has raised questions about the validity of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s claim of the Fifth Amendment during a congressional hearing. Fauci, who was pardoned by former President Joe Biden in January 2025, invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times, citing his right against self-incrimination.

Fauci’s Pardon and the Fifth Amendment

Paul, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, argued that Fauci’s pardon should have negated his ability to claim the Fifth Amendment. "The legal question is, if you’re pardoned, can you really claim the Fifth?" Paul said on "The Will Cain Show." "The Fifth Amendment is to claim immunity from self-incrimination. But if you’ve already been given immunity, you can’t self-incriminate unless you lie."

Paul is moving forward with a vote to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress after he refused to answer questions about his COVID-19 pandemic response and gain-of-function research. Fauci was pardoned by Biden after the former president stated that Fauci could potentially face "unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions" by the incoming Trump administration.

Paul’s Concerns and Next Steps

Paul’s comments come after he released over 1,000 pages of Fauci’s personal diary entries, which detailed Fauci’s day-to-day life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The journals revealed Fauci’s apparent obsession with his newfound fame and his beliefs about the origins of COVID-19. Paul plans to prepare a brief arguing that the Fifth Amendment is not applicable to someone who has received a pardon.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.