Thursday, 30 July 2026 01:27 PM EDT
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, stated she hopes the Justice Department will pursue a contempt case against Dr. Anthony Fauci after he invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times during a Senate hearing.
“No, I’m not surprised at all,” Ernst said when asked whether she expected Fauci to decline answering her questions.
She described the hearing as “quite a spicy” session, noting that they focused on deleted files, taxpayer funds spent on coronavirus research, and allegations that Fauci had lied to Congress.
“What I wanted to expose in that line of questioning is that among thousands of documents and emails we had, there were disturbing findings: Dr. Fauci funded NIH and other organizations with research using human fetal tissue in mice,” Ernst said.
During Wednesday’s Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, Ernst questioned Fauci about the issue.
“Dr. Fauci, yes or no? Do you think that human aborted parts should be put into mice for coronavirus research?” she asked.
Fauci responded: “The advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer, based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.”
Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the panel will vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress.
Ernst noted that the vote is expected to split along party lines, though some Democrats might support it.
“I, of course, expect it to be largely upon party lines,” she added. “We’ll see if a few Democrats join us.”
“But my hope is that, yes, if we can get it through Congress and the committee, it gets referred to the Department of Justice,” Ernst said. “We would love to see them take up this case because Dr. Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment rights 111 times.”
“During the pandemic, he was able to speak with celebrities and athletes,” she said. “But when it came time to explain his position to the American people, he chose silence over truth.”
“We believe there are a couple of felonies that can be pursued,” she added. “The contempt of Congress is an option. I do hope it ends favorably for us and very badly for Dr. Fauci.”
Former President Joe Biden granted Fauci a full federal pardon covering potential offenses committed from January 1, 2014, through January 19, 2025.
Paul argued that the pardon weakens Fauci’s Fifth Amendment claim, while Fauci’s attorneys maintain he retains his constitutional right against self-incrimination.
Democrats defended Fauci and called the hearing a politically motivated attempt to humiliate him.
