A Senate committee with a Republican majority on Thursday declared doctor Anthony Fauci, who orchestrated the White House response to the Covid-19 pandemic, guilty of obstructing Congress’ investigative prerogatives.
On the recommendation of his lawyers, Mr. Fauci continually invoked the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution to remain silent in the face of pressing questions from Republican senators, who questioned him about unfounded allegations that the origins of the pandemic had been covered up.
This committee vote constitutes another step in the Senate’s attempt to prosecute the 85-year-old immunologist.
Before the hearing, which was held last week, Anthony Fauci denounced the “obvious obsession” of conservative Rand Paul, who chairs this commission, to pursue him in court.
The latter has also announced his intention to send the commission’s decision directly to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution, while such resolutions must generally be adopted by the Senate in its entirety first.
Democrats on the committee denounced the vote, with Sen. Gary Peters accusing his colleague Rand Paul of a “rushed investigation.”
Annoyance with Trump
The elected Republican has accused Mr. Fauci of lies about the Covid-19 pandemic for years and recently published extracts from his private diary.
If the latter do not provide evidence on the origin of Covid, they show the concern of the doctor, who then advised Donald Trump – he kept this function under the mandate of Joe Biden – with regard to the pandemic, but also his fascination with his growing notoriety and his annoyance with the Republican.
Long director of the American National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Anthony Fauci had become the most visible expert in the United States on the subject during the pandemic and often contradicted Donald Trump.
