Fauci Invokes 5th Amendment in Senate Hearing

Dr. 👤Anthony Fauci invoked his 📜Fifth Amendment right Wednesday morning by not answering questions on the origins of 🦠COVID-19 and how the government handled the pandemic.

The decision was a surprise at the start of the hearing, which was expected to be contentious given Fauci’s Chairman 👤Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) relationship.

In his opening statement to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Fauci explained why he took that route by stating Paul’s “obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution, his repeated slanderous comments about me” and his decision to publicly release the doctor’s personal journal.

“The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he 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,’” Fauci said.

“Any reasonable person who has followed his unhinged obsession with me would readily come to the same conclusion,” he continued. “Therefore, although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government and my decades-long record of cooperating with Congress, under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the 5th Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions.”