A Republican-led Senate committee has voted to hold Anthony Fauci, the former top US infectious-disease specialist, in contempt of Congress. The committee, led by Republican Senator Rand Paul, referred the matter to the justice department for possible criminal prosecution.
Fauci, 85, invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a Senate committee hearing last week. He stated in his opening statement that he believed the hearing's purpose was to find a basis to prosecute him.
President Joe Biden pre-emptively pardoned Fauci before leaving the White House in early 2025, but this pardon does not cover actions after January of last year, nor does it protect against state or local prosecution.