Senator Rand Paul has escalated his long-running clash with Dr. Anthony Fauci by personally delivering a criminal contempt referral to the Department of Justice, pressing the Biden administration to decide whether the former COVID czar will finally face legal accountability.
According to The Gateway Pundit, Paul (R-KY) fulfilled his pledge on to hand-carry the referral after the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress. The committees resolution, driven by Republican members, passed strictly along party lines in an 85 vote, underscoring the deep partisan divide over Faucis conduct during and after the pandemic.
The next decision we have decided is we will forward it. Its the committees verdict that he should be held in contempt, and it will be sent, Paul told reporters earlier in the day, making clear that the Senate panel intended to move swiftly. His comments signaled a determination among conservatives to test whether the Justice Department will apply the law evenly, or continue what many on the right see as a double standard that punishes Trump allies while shielding favored figures of the left.
The contempt referral stems from Faucis combative appearance before the Senate last week, where he repeatedly refused to answer questions about his role in funding risky research and shaping the COVID narrative. During that hearing, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times as Senate Republicans pressed him on the origins of the virus, his public statements, and what they describe as years of deception.
In a moment that captured the frustration of GOP lawmakers, Fauci would not even respond to basic, non-substantive questions posed by Senator Josh Hawley. He refused to say what day of the week it was, what color his tie was, or what color the carpet was, a performance that critics argue showed contempt not only for Congress but for the American public that lived under his guidance and mandates.
Prior to the committee vote, Paul had already laid out his strategy to bypass the usual drawn-out process and move directly against Fauci. He vowed he would immediately send it to the Department of Justice and ask them to continue proceedings to come down with an indictment, signaling that he would not wait for a full Senate floor vote to act.
There is some legal discussion and case work and precedent on this, and so we will put this forward, we will make our arguments, Paul said in an interview on Wednesday, indicating that his team had studied prior contempt cases. His approach reflects a broader conservative push to reassert congressional oversight powers that many believe were ignored or undermined during the pandemic era.
After the resolution passed, Paul was pressed by reporters on whether he was comfortable with breaking precedent by moving ahead without a floor vote. He rejected the premise, arguing that the committee was operating within its authority and that the full Senate could still be involved if necessary, stating, No one said that we wont bring it before the Senate.
Well see what happens over time, but this is outside of the ordinary billmaking process. It doesnt have to go to the House, doesnt have to be signed by the president, and really doesnt have to go before the Senate. There is some precedent for doing it that way, and it still may be done that way. But for now, we will hand carry this over to the attorney general, we will hand-carry this to the district court here in Columbia, and we will, as a committee, we have voted the majority to refer this. So that will be accomplished today, Paul explained, underscoring his intent to force the DOJs hand.
When asked to respond to Faucis claim that he is being unfairly targeted, Paul framed the issue in moral and constitutional terms rather than as a personal feud. A million Americans died, and I think they deserve to know the truth. Anthony Fauci has advocated for dangerous gain-of-function research for two decades now, he said, pointing to long-standing concerns about U.S.-funded experiments that may have increased the lethality or transmissibility of viruses.
Paul also highlighted what he described as a troubling legal shield that Fauci enjoys, raising questions about why someone with such protection would refuse to testify fully. The question why is not a question that he can have liability for. He was given a pardon. Interestingly, the pardon starts in 2014. Thats when the funding of the lab in Wuhan started. So I think he should answer questions, he said.
As far as pleading the fifth when you have a pardon, all you have to do is tell the truth, just not commit a new crime. But if we were to grant him immunity from telling the truth, of what value you know would his testimony be? So I think the American people do deserve to know this, Paul continued, arguing that transparency, not immunity, is what is owed to the public.
The Kentucky senator further condemned Faucis early-pandemic statements dismissing the lab-leak theory and downplaying his own role in funding research in Wuhan, even as evidence mounted that his agencies had a direct financial connection. He reserved particular scorn for the legacy media, which he said acted as Faucis public-relations arm instead of scrutinizing his conflicts of interest.
He wasnt an objective observer, and he wasnt adequately questioned really by the media on did he have a conflict of interest? Did he have a self interest in it not being from the lab? Of course, he did because he funded the lab, Paul added, arguing that journalists failed in their basic duty to challenge power when that power aligned with progressive narratives.
Later, Paul posted photographs of his letters to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, noting that they were hand-delivered to the DOJ. The images were meant to remove any doubt that the referral had been formally lodged and that the next move now belongs to Attorney General Merrick Garlands department.
President Donald Trump has also weighed in, as reported by The Gateway Pundit, applauding the contempt vote and insisting that Faucis alleged misconduct goes far beyond mere defiance of Congress. Trump argued that Faucis actions involve crimes that are far more serious than a lot of crimes, while pointing out that his own advisers, Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon, were both sent to prison for refusing to comply with subpoenas from the partisan January 6 committee.
The Justice Department must now decide whether it will treat Fauci as it treated Trump allies who stood up to what many conservatives regard as politically motivated investigations, or whether it will once again shield a prominent figure of the federal bureaucracy from consequences. For millions of Americans who lost loved ones, livelihoods, and liberties during the COVID era, the question is not merely whether Fauci will face contempt charges, but whether the political and media establishment will ever be forced to confront its own role in elevating and protecting a man whose decisions reshaped the nation.
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