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Fauci declines request to appear before a second Senate panel
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- Dr. Anthony Fauci declined a request to voluntarily appear before a second Senate panel after Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee voted to hold him in contempt.
- Fauci's lawyer argued that compelling him to appear again would amount to harassment for political purposes, following a contentious July 29 hearing.
- Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 100 times during the July hearing, leading to the contempt vote and a potential Justice Department investigation into whether he properly exercised his rights.
- Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Rand Paul, argue that Fauci's constitutional protections do not apply due to a preemptive pardon from President Biden and have accused Fauci of misleading the public during the pandemic.
- Sen. Ron Johnson sought to investigate Fauci's role in the COVID-19 response, including vaccine safety and efficacy, through a parallel congressional inquiry.
