Senate Hearing Sparks Contempt Threat Against Fauci After 111 Fifth Amendment Invocations

By Theodore Bunker | Thursday, 30 July 2026 01:27 PM EDT

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, stated on Thursday that she hopes the Justice Department will pursue a contempt case against Dr. Anthony Fauci following his repeated invocation of the Fifth Amendment 111 times during a Senate hearing on the coronavirus pandemic.

“No, I’m not surprised at all,” Ernst said in remarks to the media. “And let me tell you, it was quite a spicy hearing. We focused largely on the deleted files. We know he was trying to keep information from the American public. We focused on the expenditure of taxpayer funds going into coronavirus research. We focused on the fact that he had lied to Congress.”

During Wednesday’s Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, Ernst questioned Fauci about NIH-funded coronavirus research using human fetal tissue in mice.

“Dr. Fauci, yes or no? Do you think that human aborted parts should be put into mice for coronavirus research?” Ernst asked.

“The advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer, based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution,” Fauci responded.

Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the panel will vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress. Ernst indicated she expects the vote to fall largely along party lines, though some Democrats might support the resolution.

“I, of course, expect it to be largely upon party lines,” Ernst stated. “We’ll see. There may be a few Democrats that would join us in that vote.”

“But my hope is that, yes, if we can get it through Congress and the committee, it gets referred to the Department of Justice,” she added. “We would love to see them take up this particular case because, as you saw demonstrated during the hearing yesterday, Dr. Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment rights 111 times.”

“But during the pandemic, he was able to speak with celebrities and influencers, athletes,” Ernst said. “And yet, when it came time to really explain his position to the American people, he chose silence over truth. So this is very, very telling.”

“Again, we believe that there are a couple of felonies that can be pursued,” she said. “The contempt of Congress can be pursued. I do hope it ends favorably for us and very badly for Dr. Fauci.”

Former President Joe Biden granted Fauci a full federal pardon covering potential offenses committed from January 1, 2014, through January 19, 2025, related to his government service.

Paul argued that the pardon weakens Fauci’s Fifth Amendment claim, while Fauci’s attorneys maintain he retains his constitutional right against self-incrimination. Democrats defended Fauci and characterized the hearing as a politically motivated attempt to humiliate him.