Senate committee votes along party lines to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress
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- Senate Homeland Security Committee voted Thursday to hold Fauci in contempt in an 8-7 party-line vote after he invoked his Fifth Amendment right at last week's hearing led by Sen. Rand Paul.
- Fauci received a preemptive pardon from Biden, covering him through Jan. 19, 2025 — meaning if he lied to Congress after that date, he could still be prosecuted, as Sen. Paul noted.
- Sen. Ron Johnson said his committee obtained a copy of Fauci's phone and demanded transcribed interviews from Fauci and others, threatening subpoenas if they refuse to comply.
- House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said his panel wants to question Fauci about Covid-era journal entries released by Paul's committee — a contempt push in the House would not face a filibuster.
- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced he is opening a state-level investigation into Fauci, though his office did not specify the scope.
- Sen. Gary Peters argued the contempt push was partisan and rushed, and warned the vote threatens the Fifth Amendment rights of all future congressional witnesses.
- Sen. James Lankford cited the Lois Lerner precedent — where the DOJ ultimately refused to prosecute despite a contempt finding — as a potential warning sign for the Fauci effort.
Why it matters: The 8-7 contempt vote exposes the limits of Biden's preemptive pardon, which expired Jan. 19, 2025 — leaving Fauci legally exposed if he testifies and lies. With the Senate, House, a state AG, and a phone-records probe already in play, Fauci faces a multi-front legal siege that could outlast the contempt referral itself, which precedent suggests the DOJ may not prosecute.
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