A Senate committee voted along party lines Thursday to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress.
The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the resolution 8-7 after Fauci refused to answer questions about his role during the pandemic.
Last week, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined every question, saying the hearing was designed to goad him into a perjury charge. The committee rejected that claim and advanced the contempt measure. Sen. Rand Paul, the panel’s chairman, now aims to skip a full Senate vote and refer the case straight to the Justice Department for possible prosecution.
According to the Wall Street Journal, another Senate panel investigating Fauci has obtained a copy of the iPhone he used during the Covid-19 pandemic, which could provide more records of his actions. The Department of Health and Human Services transferred it Wednesday to the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).
