Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment 111 times before Senate panel as 2021 door-to-door vaccine video resurfaces
Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination at least 111 times before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday, as a resurfaced 2021 PBS video of the former White House health advisor conducting door-to-door vaccine outreach in Washington, D.C., drew fresh attention on social media.
Key takeaways
- Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination at least 111 times before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
- Fauci was subpoenaed by committee chairman Sen. Rand Paul to testify on the federal government's handling of COVID-19 and the virus's origins, but declined to answer substantive questions.
- Paul said the committee will vote the following week to certify Fauci's contempt of Congress.
- A resurfaced 2021 PBS video showing Fauci and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser conducting door-to-door vaccine outreach in Washington's Anacostia neighborhood drew renewed attention on social media.
- Fox News Digital reported that Fauci's published diary contains entries appearing to contradict his public statements.
Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination at least 111 times before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday, as a resurfaced 2021 PBS video of the former White House health advisor conducting door-to-door vaccine outreach in Washington, D.C., drew fresh attention on social media.
The Senate hearing
Fauci was subpoenaed by the committee's chairman, Sen. Rand Paul, to testify on the federal government's handling of COVID-19 and the origins of the virus. He declined to answer substantive questions throughout the session. Paul said the committee will hold a vote the following week to certify Fauci's contempt of Congress.
Ahead of the hearing, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Fauci "made too many bad calls" and that Biden had "made Fauci a 'King!'" Trump wrote that he had personally called Biden to warn him about Fauci, saying the call was "well received, but sadly, not acted on."
What the 2021 PBS clip shows
The footage, recorded by PBS, shows Fauci alongside Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser visiting residents in the city's Anacostia neighborhood to encourage COVID-19 vaccination. Bowser, who is leaving office at the end of her current term, warned that allowing the virus to "continue to percolate" was the consequence of people not getting vaccinated. Fauci was serving as the nation's top voice on the coronavirus at the time.
Several residents challenged the two officials on camera. One unnamed resident questioned the timeline of the vaccine's development, comparing it to the typical years required to develop a flu vaccine. The same resident challenged the government's practice of offering incentives for vaccination, saying: "When you start talking about paying people to get vaccinated, when you start talking about incentivizing things to get people vaccinated, there's something else going on with that."
Diary scrutiny and social media
The clip's renewed circulation comes as Fauci's published diary draws scrutiny. Fox News Digital reported that the diary contains entries appearing to contradict his public statements.
Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project, wrote on X that Fauci had learned he had a blood clot in his lung on the same day as the Anacostia visit. Riley Gaines of "The Riley Gaines Show" podcast and Javier Hermonsa, identified as a Bitcoin miner, also posted about the footage on X.
Neither Fauci nor Bowser responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment before the hearing.