WASHINGTON — A U.S. Senate committee voted on Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after the former top U.S. infectious disease official refused to answer questions about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former NIH Director Anthony Fauci testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on July 29, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Fauci was expected to be questioned about his diary entries during his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/TNS)
U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK), U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) sit next to U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) as he presides over a vote whether to hold Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in contempt for having invoked the Fifth Amendment in response to questions about the government's COVID-19 pandemic response during a July 29 hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Aug. 6.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee considers holding Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress.
U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK), U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) sit next to U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) as he presides over a vote whether to hold Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in contempt for having invoked the Fifth Amendment in response to questions about the government's COVID-19 pandemic response during a July 29 hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Aug. 6.
Former NIH Director Anthony Fauci testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on July 29, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Fauci was expected to be questioned about his diary entries during his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/TNS)
