BREAKING: Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment, REFUSES to answer Rand Paul

S. HEARING. HOWEVER, GIVEN SENATOR PAUL'S. OBVIOUS OBSESESSION WITH CALLIN. FOR MY PROSECUTION, HIS REPEATED. SLANDEROUS COMMENTS ABOUT ME, AND RECENTLY HIS PUBLICLY. RELEASING MY UNREDACTED PERSONAL. DIARY AIMED AT EMBARRASSING AND. INTIMIDATING ME, 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, QUOTE, BEHIND BARS, UNQUOTE. ANY REASONABLE PERSON WHO HAS. FOLLOWED HIS UNHINGED OBSESSION.

WITH ME WOULD READILY COME TO. THE SAME CONCLUSION. THEREFORE, ALTHOUGH IT PAINS ME. TO DO SO BECAUSE OF THE RESPECT. I HAVE FOR THE LEGISLATIVE. BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT AND MY. DECADES-LONG RECORD OF. COOPERATING WITH CONGRESS, UNDER. THE ADVICE OF MY ATTORNEYS, I. WILL INVOKE MY RIGHT UNDER THE. FIFTH AMENDMENT OF THE. CONSTITUTION TO REFRAIN FROM. ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS. THANK YOU.

>> WE'LL NOW BEGIN A ROUND OF. QUESTIONING. DR. FAUCI, YOUR TESTIMONY TODAY. IS COMPELLED BY LAWFUL SUBPOENA. AS YOU KNOW IT'S A CRIME UNDER. 18US C-SECTION 1001 TO MAKE A. FALSE STATEMENT TO CONGRESS WITH. THE PENALTY UP TO FIVE YEARS OF. IMPRISONMENT. UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU ARE UNDER. OATH, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WOULD. LIKE TO UNDERSTAND YOUR.

REASONING, YOUR RATIONALE, FOR. WHY YOU CHOSE TO FUND THE. RESEARCH IN WUHAN. THERE HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES, C.I.A., F.B.I., D.O.E. HAVE ALL COME TO. THE CONCLUSION THAT MORE LIKELY. THAN NOT THE VIRUS CAME FROM THE. ROB IN WUHAN AND SO WE WOULD. LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE DISCUSSION. AND RATIONALE. WHAT WENT BEHIND THE DECISION TO. FUND THE RESEARCH IN WUHAN?

HOW DID YOU COME TO THE. CONCLUSION IT IS THE COUNTRY. WOULD BE ABLE OF DOING IT IN A. LAB THAT LACKED THE SECURITY. WHAT WAS THE REASONING? ARE YOU SORRY BASICALLY FOR. MAKING THE DECISION? GIVEN ANOTHER CHANCE WOULD YOU. SAY GOSH, CIRCUMSTANCES NOW AS I. KNOW IT MAYBE WASN'T A WISE THEN. RE THING. CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO THE COMMITTEE. WHY YOU CHOSE TO FUND THE. DANGEROUS RESEARCH IN CHINA? >> ON THE ADVICE OF COUNSEL, I. RESPECTFULLY DECLINE TO ANSWER.

BASED UPON MY RIGHTS UNDER THE. FIFTH AMENDMENT OF THE. CONSTITUTION. >> IN THE RED FOLDER ON YOUR. TABLE IS A COPY OF SECTION 192. OF TITLE 2 OF THE U.S. CODE. COUNSEL HAS BEEN PROVIDED A COPY. AS WELL. THAT SECTION MAKES IT A CRIME. FOR WITNESS APPEARING UNDER. SUBPOENA TO REFUSE TO ANSWER ANY. QUESTIONS PERTINENT TO THE. QUESTION UNDER INQUIRY. DO YOU HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF. YOU? >> ON THE ADVICE OF COUNSEL I.

RESPECTFULLY DECLINE TO ANSWER. BASED UPON MY RIGHTS UNDER THE. FIFTH AMENDMENT OF THE. CONSTITUTION. >> LET THE RECORD RECORD THAT. THE WITNESS HAS REFUSED TO. ANSWER WHETHER THERE IS A FOLDER. IN FRONT OF HIM BASED ON HIS. FIFTH AMENDMENT RIGHT. IT IS TRUE THAT YOU ARE. APPEARING UNDER DIRECTION OF OUR. SUBPOENA TO PROVIDE TESTIMONY ON. MATTERS UNDER CONSIDERATION BY. THE COMMITTEE INCLUDING THE. ORIGINS OF COVID-19, RISKY LIFE. SCIENCES RESEARCH AND TENURE AS. A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE.

YOU'VE BEEN PROVIDED A FULL AND. UNCONDITIONAL PARDON DATED. JANUARY 19, 2025, FOR ANY. OFFENSES AGAINST THE UNITED. STATES WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN. COMMITTED OR TAKEN PART FROM. JANUARY 1, 2014, TO THE DATE OF. THE PARDON FOR A 10-YEAR PERIOD. ARISING FROM OR IN ANY MANNER. RELATED TO YOUR SERVICE AS. DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL. INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY AND. INFECTIONS DISEASES.

AS A MEMBER OF THE TASK FORCE OR. COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAM OR CHIEF. MEDICAL ADVISOR TO THE. PRESIDENT. HAVE YOU REFUSED THIS PARDON OR. DO YOU HAVE ANY REASON TO. BELIEVE THIS FULL AND. UNCONDITIONAL PARDON AND GRANT. OF IMMUNITY WHAT SOMEHOW REQUIRE. YOU TO PLEAD THE FIFTH. AMENDMENT? >> ON THE ADVICE OF COUNSEL I. RESPECTFULLY DECLILINE TO ANSWE. BASED UPON MY RIGHTS UNDER THE. FIFTH AMENDMENT OF THE. CONSTITUTION. >> BASED ON THE FACTS PRESENTED.

I WILL DIRECT YOU TO ANSWER THE. QUESTIONS THE COMMITTEE HAS. ISSUED A VALID SUBPOENA, REQUESTED YOUR PRESENCE HERE, THE QUESTIONS ARE VERY PERTINENT. TO Y YOUR DECISION MAKING AS HE. OF NIAID AS WELL AS A CHIEF. ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT. DO YOU STILL REFUSE TO ANSWER. THE QUESTIONS? >> ON THE ADVICE OF COUNSEL I. RESPECTFULLY DECLINE TO ANSWER. BASED UPON MY RIGHTS UNDER THE. FIFTH AMENDMENT OF THE. CONSTITUTION.

>> DR. FAUCI, WERE YOU EVER MADE. AWARE OF GAIN-OF-FUNCTION. RESEARCH ON MONKEYPOX BEING. CONDUCTED AT THE COUNTER MISSION. CENTER AT FORT DETRICK? >> ON.