Why did Anthony Fauci invoke the Fifth Amendment? Senate hearing explained
Former US health official Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a Senate hearing regarding the origins of COVID-19. Republican lawmakers questioned him over pandemic policies and potential research funding in China, despite a preemptive pardon granted by President Biden.
Why it matters
The hearing underscores the ongoing political polarization surrounding the US government's handling of the pandemic and the legal strategies used by high-profile public figures.
The former top US health official invoked the amendment as Republicans questioned him over COVID-19.
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Dr Anthony Fauci, a former top United States public health official, has declined to answer questions at a Republican-led Senate committee hearing into the origins of COVID-19 and the handling of the pandemic.
The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on Wednesday.
Fauci was called to testify by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who accuses him of misleading Congress and questions whether US-funded research in China played a role in the pandemic, allegations Fauci denies.
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