Senate committee moves to refer Fauci for contempt charges
Senator Rand Paul stated that the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee does not require a full Senate vote to refer Dr. Anthony Fauci to the Department of Justice for contempt charges, reports BritPanorama.
As chair of the committee, Paul announced that the panel would promptly send the results of a vote regarding Fauci’s contempt to the DOJ. This follow-up comes after the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases invoked the Fifth Amendment during his testimony last week.
While Paul did not speculate on whether the committee would secure the necessary votes to hold Fauci in contempt, he emphasized the committee’s intention to act following the upcoming vote.
“We don’t do charging, the Department of Justice does. If we win the vote on Thursday my plan is to send it to the Department of Justice,” he told CNN. Paul explained that the full Senate’s approval was not mandated, stating, “Because it’s not a law. There’s no ‘have to’; it’s always a suggestion, even if the whole Senate passes it, it’s a suggestion.”
He also indicated that the committee would prepare a legal brief to present to the DOJ, arguing that Fauci could not invoke the Fifth Amendment under a pardon, highlighting ongoing obstruction of the investigation.
On his way out of office, President Joe Biden had issued preemptive pardons for Fauci along with others who were seen as targets by the incoming administration under President Donald Trump. Paul maintained that the contempt charge would effectively amount to a charge of obstruction.
“We’re in the middle of an investigation, we’d like him to answer questions. We think the pardon grants immunity; all he has to do is come and tell the truth. So we’ll see what happens,” the Kentucky Republican concluded.
