Fauci repeatedly pleads Fifth in fiery showdown with Rand Paul

Former National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci repeatedly refused to answer substantive questions from Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul, leaving the Kentucky Republican frustrated but unfazed.

Fauci and Paul previously engaged in heated exchanges during an earlier hearing, when the lawmaker warned the immunologist against lying to Congress about his role in the nation's response to the coronavirus pandemic and his support for gain-of-function research.

"I served at the NIH for over 54 years, 38 of those as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Over that period, I proved that I believe in and respect the value of legitimate congressional oversight," Fauci began his opening statement.

"In fact, I testified before and or briefed Senate and House congressional oversight, Senate and House committees well over 200 times over those 38 years during and after the COVID-19 pandemic," said Fauci, who was appointed to his NIAID role by President Ronald Reagan.

RAND PAUL BLASTS FAUCI AS ‘UNCONCERNED WITH LIBERTY', ‘NOT BEING HONEST WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 03: Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is sworn in before testifying before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Rayburn House Office Building on June 3, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Fauci said that because Paul has an "obsession" with demanding his prosecution and allegedly "slander[ed]" him, he felt he was going to be put in a trap to "vindicate [Paul’s] public pledges" that he "end up behind bars."

When Paul began a series of in-depth questions, Fauci began repeatedly pleading his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

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Paul argued that Fauci did not have that ability during a congressional investigation conducted under a lawful subpoena, noting that it is a crime under 18 U.S.C. § 1001 to knowingly make false statements to Congress.

When Fauci finished, Paul reiterated that point before Fauci's lawyer began speaking out of turn and was eventually ejected by the chairman.