{"id":2234,"date":"2026-08-06T14:00:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2234"},"modified":"2026-08-06T14:00:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:00:17","slug":"senate-panel-votes-to-hold-former-official-fauci-in-contempt-of-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=2234","title":{"rendered":"Senate panel votes to hold former official Fauci in contempt of Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__divider\">\n<div class=\"listen-to-article\"><button class=\"listen-to-article__button\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><title>Listen<\/title>Listen (2 mins)<\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share__update-reading-list-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"update-reading-list\">\n<p class=\"update-reading-list__button-text\">Save<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"screen-reader-text\">Click here to share on social media<\/div>\n<p><title>share-nodes<\/title><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<div class=\"rich-share__links rich-share__links--row\" data-testid=\"share-links\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__social rich-share__social--row\"><a class=\"rich-share__social-link row\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fsk6u7x\"><title>facebook<\/title><\/a><a class=\"rich-share__social-link row\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Senate%20panel%20votes%20to%20hold%20former%20official%20Fauci%20in%20contempt%20of%20Congress&amp;source=sharethiscom&amp;related=sharethis&amp;via=AJEnglish&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fsk6u7x\"><title>x<\/title><\/a><a class=\"rich-share__social-link row u-hidden--desktop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share on Whatsapp\" href=\"\/\/send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fsk6u7x\"><title>whatsapp-stroke<\/title><\/a><a class=\"rich-share__social-link row copylink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Copy link\" href=\"https:\/\/aje.news\/sk6u7x\"><title>copylink<\/title><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"google-preferred-source\"><button class=\"google-preferred-source__button\" aria-label=\"Add Al Jazeera on Google\" data-testid=\"google-preferred-source-button\"><title>google<\/title><span class=\"google-preferred-source__text\">Add Al Jazeera on Google<\/span><\/button><button aria-label=\"See more of Al Jazeera\u2019s trusted journalism by adding us as a preferred source on Google.\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><title>info<\/title><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-featured__media\">\n<figure class=\"article-featured-image\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/reuters_6a748d50-1786023248.jpg?resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"FILE PHOTO: Anthony Fauci, the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and medical advisor to several U.S. presidents, attends a U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 29, 2026. Anthony Fauci declined to answer questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. REUTERS\/Nathan Howard\/File Photo\"><\/div><figcaption>Anthony Fauci, the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), attends a Senate committee hearing [Nathan Howard\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-info m--t-20 m--desktop-b-30 m--b-mobile-20\">\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<div class=\"date-simple\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 6 Aug 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">6 Aug 2026<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wysiwyg wysiwyg--all-content\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p>A United States Senate panel has voted to hold former health official Anthony Fauci, a key figure in the country\u2019s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in contempt of Congress.<\/p>\n<p>The move on Thursday comes after Fauci last week pleaded the fifth, referring to a constitutional right to remain silent, during a hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended recommended__loading\">\n<div class=\"loading-cards\" data-testid=\"loading-cards\">\n<div class=\"loading-card keep-reading\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Fauci, the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) had charged the Republican-led hearing was designed to entrap him. He had previously been pre-emptively pardoned by former US President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<p>Fauci accused the committee head, Republican Senator Rand Paul, of having an \u201cunhinged obsession\u201d with him, arguing he had previously cooperated in several congressional hearings and investigations following the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something \u2013 anything \u2013 that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words \u2013 quote \u2013 \u2018behind bars,\u2019\u201d Fauci said.<\/p>\n<p>Following the vote on Thursday, the panel could refer Fauci to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution, although the law enforcement agency will ultimately decide whether to move ahead with those charges.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking ahead of Thursday\u2019s vote, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, said there was \u201cvirtually no chance that a court would actually approve any contempt because [Fauci] had a well-founded fear of self-incrimination, which entitled him to invoke the Fifth Amendment\u201d.<\/p>\n<div class=\"container--ads in-article-ads\">\n<div class=\"ads\"><span class=\"ads__title\"> Advertisement <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Rand, meanwhile, argued that Fauci\u2019s decision to deliver an opening statement decrying the hearing, before invoking his fifth amendment right during questioning, showed he was \u201ctrying to have it both ways\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ListenListen (2 mins) Save Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share facebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylink googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Anthony Fauci, the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), attends a Senate committee hearing [Nathan Howard\/Reuters] Published On 6 Aug 20266 Aug 2026 A United States Senate panel has voted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - 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