Sen. Rand Paul, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, votes on a resolution to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about the COVID-19 pandemic under subpoena. <\/p>\n
SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): Eight days ago, Dr. Anthony Fauci sat before this committee in the witness chair under subpoena for conduct covered by the President Biden’s full and unconditional pardon. Reaching back to 2014, Dr. Fauci faced no risk of federal prosecution. All he had to do was tell the truth. More than 100 times, though, he refused. The chair ruled that Dr. Fauci’s assertion of the Fifth Amendment privilege was unsupported in light of the pardon and the testimony he offered in his opening statement. The chair directed Anthony Fauci to answer. He refused again. That is what we are voting on today, not his opinions, not his policies, not anything he said from a podium six years ago. We are voting on whether a witness who has received the benefit of a sweeping federal pardon can be ordered by this committee to answer questions and then defy that order without consequence. Documents tell only part of the story. Many of these questions can be answered only by Dr. Fauci. He answered none of them. There will be another pandemic. The time to determine which legislative reforms are necessary to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated is now, not later. Holding a witness in contempt is a serious thing, and it should be rare. But the contempt power exists for precisely this circumstance. Oversight is not a courtesy this committee extends or a favor a former official grants us. It is a constitutional obligation. And when voluntary cooperation ends, Congress must be able to compel compliance with its lawful demands. That is Congress’s compulsory instrument. A subpoena is not an invitation. A subpoena with no consequence is not a subpoena. It’s a suggestion. Seeking the truth is not a witch hunt. Accountability is not vengeance. Accountability is what stands between the American people and a repeat of the mistakes and the very real consequences of the past.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Paul after the vote: