The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted on Thursday to approve a resolution put forward by its chair, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt after he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 111 times to avoid answering questions during a Senate hearing.
[RELATED: Senate Committee to Vote on Holding Fauci in Contempt After 111 Fifth Amendment Invocations…]
“Passed by Republicans on behalf of the millions of Americans and their families still affected years after the COVID pandemic, the resolution to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress has passed out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee by a vote of 8-5,” said Sen. Paul on X following the vote.
The committee voted 8-5 along party lines to approve Paul’s contempt resolution. During the committee debate on the resolution, Democrats attempted to table it multiple times but were unsuccessful.
The resolution accused Fauci of contempt of Congress after he hid behind the Fifth Amendment to refuse to answer questions. According to the resolution, Fauci waived his right to plead the Fifth when he made an opening statement on matters pertinent to the questions asked of him.
The committee can now either press for a full vote on the resolution in the Senate, where it would likely not meet the required 60-vote majority, or it can submit the resolution directly to the Department of Justice (DOJ), which Paul already said that the committee will do.
Paul also reposted multiple statements about the vote confirming that the committee will be bypassing the full Senate to bring the matter directly to the DOJ.
Fox News reporter Bill Melugin reported on a statement from Fauci’s attorney David Schertler accusing Paul of waging a personal vendetta against the nation’s former COVID czar.
“Today’s partisan committee vote is a crude political stunt intended to punish Dr. Fauci for exercising his constitutional rights. The Senate should reject Senator Paul’s meritless and politically-motivated contempt resolution. For years, Senator Paul has proclaimed to anyone who would listen that Dr. Fauci should be prosecuted and put in prison. Dr. Fauci has committed no crime – and Senator Paul knows it,” he said.
“Today’s resolution is a continuation of Senator Paul’s personal vendetta against Dr. Fauci, who spent 50 years in public health and has saved countless lives. It is shameful and wrong that Senator Paul is abusing his power by trying to weaponize the Justice Department against an honorable public servant,” he added.
