Former top US health official Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment during a hearing before a Republican-led Senate committee about the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. The hearing took place on Wednesday, days after Republican Senator Rand Paul released Fauci writings in which he mused about his fame and the origins of Covid.
The amendment to the US Constitution states that no individual can be "compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself".
Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said Paul's release of his diary entries was one reason he would not answer senators' questions.
"Although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government ... under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the constitution to refrain from answering your questions," Fauci said.
Taking the Fifth is not an admission of guilt - it is designed to protect individuals against coercion, mistakes, and unfair burden-shifting.
Fauci noted that he had previously testified under oath before several Congressional committees under oath, but he asserted that Paul has an "obvious obsession" with pushing for Fauci to be prosecuted had led him not to answer questions this time.
"The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something - anything - that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, 'behind bars,'" Fauci said.
Paul continued questioning Fauci despite his refusal to answer.
During opening remarks, Paul claimed Fauci's diary entries contradicted what he told the American people about the origins of the virus.
Paul suggested that while Fauci said publicly that Covid originated naturally, he privately believed the virus originated in a medical lab. The senator has repeatedly promoted the lab-leak theory that Covid came from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Many scientists favour a theory of "animal spillover", meaning the virus began when an animal carrying the virus infected a human. However, scientists and evidence have not definitively coalesced around either theory.
Fauci's diary entries reflect openness at the start of the pandemic to two possible theories about Covid's origins - including natural origins and a lab leak - before he appears to become more convinced it had a natural origin.
For instance, in one entry from February 2020 discussing a conference call between Covid scientists, Fauci says the doctors did not have
"total agreement"about where the virus came from.
Later, the NIAID leader writes, he
"is almost certain that the virus evolved naturally from a species jump, even though… I keep an open mind about the possibility of a lab leak".
"[J]ust because two alternatives are possible that does not mean that they are equally probable," Fauci wrote.
What happened at the hearing?
Fauci refused to answer questions at the start of the Republican-led Senate committee hearing on Wednesday, citing advice from his attorneys and his Fifth Amendment rights. His decision came shortly after Rand Paul released Fauci writings that Paul said raised new questions about the Covid origins debate.
Why did Fauci invoke the Fifth Amendment?
Fauci said he did so because of Paul's release of his diary entries and because he believed the senator wanted statements that could support a prosecution. He also pointed to his previous sworn testimony before several Congressional committees, while accusing Paul of having an "obvious obsession" with getting him prosecuted.
What did Rand Paul argue?
Paul said Fauci's diary entries contradicted his public statements about the origins of the virus. Paul argued that Fauci publicly supported a natural origin for Covid while privately considering a lab origin, and he again promoted the theory that Covid came from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology.
What do the diary entries show?
The entries show Fauci was open early in the pandemic to both natural origins and a lab leak before later appearing more persuaded by a natural origin. In February 2020, he wrote that doctors on a conference call about Covid scientists did not have
"total agreement"on where the virus came from. He later wrote that he was
"almost certain that the virus evolved naturally from a species jump, even though… I keep an open mind about the possibility of a lab leak", adding:
"[J]ust because two alternatives are possible that does not mean that they are equally probable," Fauci wrote.
What is the scientific consensus?
Many scientists favour the animal spillover theory, meaning an infected animal passed the virus to a human. However, scientists and evidence have not definitively coalesced around either theory.
Key Facts
- Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment during a Republican-led Senate hearing on Wednesday.
- Rand Paul had released Fauci diary entries days earlier, saying they contradicted Fauci's public comments.
- Fauci said he was acting on the advice of his attorneys and because of Paul's push for prosecution.
- The diary entries show Fauci initially weighed both natural origin and lab-leak theories before leaning toward natural origins.
- Scientists have not definitively settled the question of how Covid began.
