Dr Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times during a Senate hearing led by Senator Rand Paul, refusing to answer questions about his role in shaping COVID-19 policy. The scale of his non-cooperation has renewed scrutiny of the sweeping pardon he received from former President Joe Biden, raising questions about why a pardoned individual would still decline to testify and reigniting debate over his handling of the pandemic response.

Questioning was partly driven by Fauci's personal diary, which reportedly contained entries at odds with his earlier public statements on the origins of the virus and on mask mandates. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has questioned the legal soundness of Biden's pardon, while Paul and other Senate Republicans have signalled they may pursue contempt charges over Fauci's refusal to engage with the committee's questions.