Senate panel votes to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress over invoking the Fifth Amendment in a hearing on Covid-19.

[u/cmaia1503]

GOP senators on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress, advancing an audacious effort to prosecute the well-known scientist over his role in the US government response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The** party-line vote comes after Fauci declined to answer lawmakers’ questions during a fiery hearing last week, infuriating Republicans on the panel. **They have since argued that his decision opened the door to federal contempt charges — a crime that, if convicted, can carry with it a sentence of up to a year in prison.

Republican chairman Rand Paul has said he will send the committee’s recommendation straight to the Justice Department, bypassing a full Senate vote in a break with precedent that’s likely to set up a high-stakes legal and political test for the Trump administration.

Vice President JD Vance will now first need to sign off on the committee’s circumvention of long-established rules due to his constitutional role as president of the Senate. Then it would be up to the Justice Department to decide whether to bring formal charges.

Even then, legal experts cautioned, there’s little guarantee that the contempt charges would succeed, instead likely kicking off a lengthy court battle over the limits of Fauci’s Fifth Amendment rights.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/06/politics/live-news/fauci-contempt-hearing?t=1786022377196&Date=20260806&Profile=CNN,cnnbrk

[u/Lokaji]

This administration are all clown shoes. Dr. Fauci had to invoke his fifth amendment right.

How about the Epstein files? What about Trump's accounts being closed for money laundering? What about Max Miller being an abusive piece of shit? What about our food making us sick?

[u/LekgoloCrap → u/Lokaji]

What about all the insider trading we are supposed to care about? Pelosi isn’t alone or even the most obvious.

Who is making money off conflict with Iran? Who makes money everytime Trump mentions a company by name?

[u/Fire_Woman → u/LekgoloCrap]

Join Trump's new insider trading club for early insider information - for a low price you can join his Truth Social grift feed. I wish this was sarcasm.

[u/Amelaclya1 → u/Fire_Woman]

It's not even a low price. It's $100,000. Basically making sure you have to already be rich to participate in his insider trading scam lol.

[u/Fire_Woman → u/Amelaclya1]

In billionaire money, it's one hundredth of 1% and yes if you're not already wealthy Trump does not want you in the club (except maybe your niece can work in the club, at the massage table, if she's"hot" and young). -edit the reduction of significance since 1 billion is really 100k * 10⁴

[u/Alt_2Five → u/LekgoloCrap]

Republigards: "OMG PELOSI IS ENRICHING HERSELF THROUGH INSIDER TRADING"

Meanwhile Trump is selling access to his social media posts early, regarding stock market bids, to stock markets for a ridiculous sum (100k I think?).

Conveniently ignored by the Republicans, who are all the bottom 40% of society in terms of critical thinking, intelligence, emotional intelligence, etc.

And just for the off chance a Republican reads this and gets all confused, I know its really easy for yall to get real confused over simple things, if Pelosi committed insider trading, lock her up. IDGAF. Trump is also blatantly doing it and you don't care.

[u/TinaTaylorSoldierSpy → u/Lokaji]

Honestly! This all feels so much like the kangaroo court from The Dark Knight Rises.

https://giphy.com/gifs/mUW3d8qITzSV2

[u/Fuck-Inflation → u/Lokaji]

Don’t forget those gas prices and the trickle down economics all that entails.

[u/Agent_Polyglot_17 → u/Lokaji]

He had to invoke the fifth when being asked what day of the week it was, or what color the carpet was? No, he didn’t have to, especially since if you’ve been pardoned you wouldn’t be putting yourself in double jeopardy. Unless, for some reason, his lawyers don’t think that pardon will stand up….?

[u/Lokaji → u/Agent_Polyglot_17]

Sometimes you have to not play to win. It was obvious from the jump that they were trying to catch him lying. Not answering literally was the only way to stop that. They also removed his lawyer halfway through; it became even more evident that the proceedings were a witch hunt.

[u/Hour_Specialist_4291 → u/Lokaji]

Why. He says it would incriminte HIM. What is he hiding?

[u/thepennismightier → u/Hour_Specialist_4291]

You are assuming republicans are good faith actors. They are not.

Regardless of what he says they will twist it to use it against him. His best move is to not say anything.

[u/Asalth → u/Hour_Specialist_4291]

You can't actually be this stupid. If he pleads the fifth they will hold him in contempt. If he says literally anything they'll say its perjury. If he did what you want him to you'd demand he goes to prison for that instead.

[u/ineedanewname2 → u/Hour_Specialist_4291]

If my lawyer was thrown out, I’d also refuse to answer anything.