Dr. Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment, declines to answer questions at COVID-19 hearing | FOX 10 Phoenix [VIUdxtIdLVG]
Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Wednesday invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer questions from the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci, the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' director, became the face of the U.S. medical community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci was set to answer lawmakers’ questions after being subpoenaed by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has long had a fraught relationship with the now-retired infectious-disease expert and led the charge seeking that he testify, again, under oath about his role in containing the pandemic. Fauci’s decision to invoke the Fifth, at least for now, sidesteps calls for his prosecution if he is caught lying at Wednesday’s hearing, part of a years long campaign for his arrest spearheaded by some Republicans in Congress. But it may also further inflame partisan divides that have festered for years about the origins and handling of the pandemic, which was declared by the World Health Organization in March 2020. MORE: Subscribe to FOX 10 Phoenix! #fauci #covid19 #coronavirus #politics #fox10phoenix FOX 10 Phoenix delivers breaking news, live events, politics, entertainment, business news and local stories from Phoenix, Arizona and across the nation. Watch more FOX 10 Phoenix on YouTube: Arizona headlines: National headlines: Top videos of the week: