Bill Maher criticised Senator Rand Paul for releasing Dr Anthony Fauci’s private COVID-19 diaries and pursuing a contempt referral. Maher argued that the actions conflict with Paul’s longstanding libertarian emphasis on privacy and opposition to government overreach.

The criticism was made on Maher’s programme, where he said Paul had moved away from his own political brand. The dispute centres on material from Fauci’s time as a leading US public-health official during the COVID-19 pandemic.