Rather than waiting for a vote by the full Senate, Paul’s resolution would send the contempt referral directly to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. That would allow the Department of Justice to begin reviewing the matter immediately instead of delaying the process until Senate leadership schedules floor action.
Paul also wants the Justice Department to address another legal question that has emerged following former President Joe Biden’s decision to grant Fauci a preemptive pardon before leaving office. According to the Kentucky senator, DOJ should determine whether accepting such a pardon has any impact on Fauci’s continued ability to invoke the Fifth Amendment.
“It’s a good legal discussion, and we will make those legal points to DOJ in sending the referral over,” Paul told Fox News Digital ahead of the hearing.
The latest confrontation marks another chapter in the long-running feud between Paul and Fauci, a rivalry that dates back to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout congressional hearings over the past several years, the two frequently clashed over government policies, pandemic restrictions, and research connected to the origins of the coronavirus.
Paul has consistently argued that Fauci supported “risky” scientific research involving viruses and has maintained that federal funding may have contributed to research linked to the theory that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. The senator has repeatedly insisted that Fauci should face criminal scrutiny over his actions and testimony.
The Senate’s investigation, however, is no longer focused solely on Fauci’s appearance before lawmakers. Investigators have continued gathering records that could provide additional insight into decisions made during the pandemic.
One of the most notable developments came after the Department of Health and Human Services, now led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., provided Senate investigators with Fauci’s pandemic-era cellphone, Fox News Digital confirmed.
The cellphone was delivered to the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI). The subcommittee operates under the broader Homeland Security Committee led by Paul, placing two of Fauci’s most vocal critics at the center of the investigation.
Before Fauci’s latest hearing, investigators had already obtained more than 1,000 pages from his personal pandemic diary. Those documents are expected to play a significant role as lawmakers continue reviewing government decisions made throughout the COVID-19 emergency. It remains unclear whether Johnson and Paul currently have direct access to the cellphone’s contents or whether forensic analysis is still underway.
Meanwhile, House Republicans are showing no signs of slowing their own investigation.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) indicated that his committee intends to continue questioning Fauci despite last week’s hearing, arguing that significant legal questions remain unresolved.
Comer specifically pointed to Biden’s sweeping pardon and suggested it could eliminate Fauci’s ability to remain silent before Congress if the pardon is legally valid.
“If former President Biden’s blanket autopen pardon is valid, then Dr. Fauci has no right to refuse to answer questions,” Comer said, noting his committee had done extensive work probing the autopen pardons. “Based on the release of Dr. Fauci’s diary, which should have been provided to the House Oversight Committee last Congress…we’ll be asking Dr. Fauci whether he stands by his previous testimony to our Committee.”
With both the Senate and House advancing separate investigations, scrutiny surrounding Fauci’s role in the government’s pandemic response appears far from over. Republicans argue that the American people deserve clear answers about decisions made during the COVID-19 crisis, while the contempt referral and expanding investigations signal that congressional oversight of the former health official is entering a new phase.
