Watch: Fauci's Invokes 5th, Lawyer Forcibly Removed From Hearing

Update (0920ET): As Dr. Anthony Fauci continues to invoke his 5th Amendment right not to incriminate himself - something we were all told he couldn't do due to his pardon by former President Joe Biden. 

The hearing kicked off at 8:30 a.m. EDT with Fauci appearing under subpoena from Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY). 

• Fauci’s opening statement: He invoked the Fifth Amendment and announced he would refuse to answer questions. He said it “pains” him to do so given his long record of cooperating with Congress, but he was following his attorneys’ advice. He accused Paul of an “obvious obsession” / “unhinged” campaign aimed at getting him “behind bars,” and said the hearing’s real purpose was to trap him into making statements that could support prosecution (especially perjury). He also criticized the recent public release of his personal diary entries as an effort to embarrass and intimidate him.
• Paul’s opening remarks: The chairman framed the session around COVID origins, NIH-funded research (including gain-of-function issues), inconsistencies between Fauci’s public statements and private diary notes, and accountability for the pandemic response. He noted that a presidential pardon does not rewrite history or prevent Congress from examining the facts.
• Questioning: As Paul (and possibly other senators) and others posed questions about origins, research funding, past testimony, and the diary, Fauci repeatedly responded along the lines of: “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.”

Paul went ballistic on Fauci's lawyer for speaking when he was not recognized, and then had security remove him.

Fauci lawyer is removed- round of applause pic.twitter.com/sZroNpcAAs

— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) July 29, 2026

Watch:

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Dr. Anthony Fauci is testifying today before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committe, after Chairman Sen. Rand Paul compelled him via subpoena. 

Fauci, the former longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at NIH (1984–2022) and a leading public face of the U.S. COVID-19 response, is appearing as the sole witness.

So far: 

•  Fauci is invoking his 5th amendment right not to incriminate himself by answers Paul's questions - something legal scholars widely expressed he could not do leading up to the hearing. 

"Although it pains me to do so, because of the respect I have for the Legislative Branch for government, and my decades-long record of cooperating with Congress, under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions," Fauci, 85, repeated over and over.

Paul reminded Fauci that it's illegal "to refuse to answer any questions pertinent to the question under inquiry."

🚨 JUST IN: Sen. Rand Paul just told Dr. Fauci to his face it's ILLEGAL to incessantly plead the 5th Amendment and refusing to answer relevant questions when testifying before the Senate under subpoena

PROSECUTE NOW!

PAUL: "Section 192 of Title II of the U.S. Code...that… pic.twitter.com/uXE2jLNNeE

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 29, 2026

It's too bad Fauci is refusing to answer questions:

pic.twitter.com/XgNdlsUIHL

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) July 29, 2026

This marks another round of congressional scrutiny of Fauci since his 2022 retirement, centered on long-running criticisms of pandemic-era decisions and messaging. Key focuses include:

• COVID-19 origins: Whether NIH-funded research (including work connected to labs in China) played any role, versus the prevailing scientific view of a natural zoonotic spillover (likely amplified at the Wuhan wildlife market). Paul has long pressed lab-leak possibilities and alleged inconsistencies in Fauci’s public statements.
• Recently released diary entries: Paul made public more than 1,000–1,500 pages of Fauci’s personal notes from the pandemic years. Critics highlight passages they say differ from Fauci’s public comments (e.g., early notes on the virus and the market); Fauci’s attorneys have called the related allegations baseless.
• Broader issues of public-health messaging, school closures, gain-of-function research debates, and Fauci’s interactions with officials across the Trump and Biden administrations.

House Oversight Chairman James Comer and others have noted that a prior presidential pardon does not cover potential false statements in today’s testimony. Fauci has previously rejected claims of lying or cover-ups as preposterous; scientists and supporters have defended him ahead of the session.