Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has announced that her office will investigate Dr Anthony Fauci, the former director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, becoming the latest state to launch such a probe. The move follows a heated Senate hearing at which Fauci repeatedly declined to answer questions, prompting renewed scrutiny of his conduct during the Covid-19 pandemic and adding to a wave of state-level legal challenges against him.

Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 111 times during Wednesday's hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, refusing to respond to lawmakers' questions relating to his personal diary and the pandemic response. Murrill confirmed the investigation in a social media post on Saturday, joining other states pursuing similar action, while separately Senator Rand Paul has said he intends to send a criminal referral concerning Fauci to the Department of Justice.