Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a Senate hearing Wednesday as lawmakers questioned him about his role in the government’s COVID-19 response, including decisions surrounding pandemic restrictions and the origins of the virus. The testimony came after the release of Fauci’s personal diary, which senators say raises new questions about whether his previous public statements matched his private communications.

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From The Epoch Times:

“Although it pains me to do so, because of the respect I have for the Legislative Branch for government, and my decades-long record of cooperating with Congress, under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions,” Fauci, 85, who led the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from 1984 to 2022, said in his opening statement during a hearing in Washington.

Fauci repeated more than 100 times in response to questions that he would not answer them, pursuant to the Fifth Amendment.

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Federal law makes it a crime for a person who is subpoenaed by Congress to “refuse to answer any question pertinent to the question under inquiry” and to, in certain situations, withhold information from Congress. Fauci, who was appearing pursuant to a subpoena issued by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, could face misdemeanor or felony charges.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, said after the hearing that the committee would vote on whether to recommend contempt of Congress charges against Fauci. Paul argued that Fauci’s questions were directly related to his decisions as NIAID director and as a key adviser during the government’s COVID-19 response.

The hearing followed Paul’s release of Fauci’s diary, which lawmakers say contradicts some of Fauci’s previous public comments. In one entry from March 2020, Fauci described conversations with then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and officials in California regarding school closures. The entry appeared to show Fauci playing a more active role in pandemic policy decisions than he had previously acknowledged publicly.

The diary also renewed questions about COVID-19’s origins. Fauci wrote about a discussion with scientists shortly after the virus was identified in Wuhan, China, in which several scientists raised the possibility that humans may have inserted a feature of the virus known as a furin cleavage site. Sen. Paul argued that the discovery raised serious questions about whether the virus could have been connected to laboratory research.

The debate over the origin of COVID-19 has continued for years, with increasing attention focused on the possibility of a laboratory-related incident. The White House has argued that evidence points toward the possibility that the virus emerged from research activity connected to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, noting that the lab conducted coronavirus research, including work involving bat coronaviruses, in the same region where the first known COVID-19 cases were identified.

The White House has also pointed to concerns about gain-of-function research, inadequate transparency from Chinese authorities, and the lack of a clear natural-origin pathway as reasons to continue investigating the lab-leak theory. While some scientists and officials maintain that COVID-19 likely emerged naturally, others—including U.S. intelligence officials and lawmakers—have said a laboratory-associated origin remains a credible possibility that deserves further examination.

The controversy surrounding Fauci reflects a larger debate over government accountability and public trust. During the pandemic, officials made decisions that affected millions of Americans, including school closures, business restrictions, and public health mandates. As new information continues to emerge, many Americans are asking whether those decisions were based on complete and transparent information.

IFA has also covered Dr. Fauci and his many lies extensively. We have been on the front lines of this issue since the beginning of the pandemic, reporting on the truth about the COVID virus, the rushed vaccine, the nonsensical mandates, and more. In many ways, this hearing was an answer to over half a decade of prayer.

This issue is ultimately about the importance of truth, accountability, and wise stewardship of authority. Fauci was paid by the American people, all while he lied to them about a dangerous virus and pushed for restrictions that caused lasting harm. As Congress continues investigating the pandemic response, let’s pray that truth would be revealed, justice would prevail, and leaders would act with humility and integrity.

What do you think about Dr. Fauci’s decision to invoke the Fifth Amendment? Share your thoughts below and pray that truth and accountability would prevail in our nation.

(Excerpt from The Epoch Times. Photo Credit: Official White House Photo by Erin Scott)