Fauci invokes 5th Amendment during Senate testimony

[0:00] It's the practice of this committee to swear in the witness. [0:02] Dr. Fauci, please stand and raise your right hand. [0:07] Do you swear that the testimony you will give before this committee will be the truth, [0:11] the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? [0:13] So help you God. [0:18] Dr. Anthony Fauci, you are recognized for five minutes for your opening statement. [0:26] Member Peters, members of the committee, I served at the NIH for over 54 years, [0:34] 38 of those as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. [0:39] Over that period, I proved that I believe in and respect the value of legitimate congressional oversight. [0:49] In fact, I testified before and or briefed Senate and House committees well over 200 times over those 38 years. [1:04] During and after the COVID pandemic, I have appeared multiple times for hearings [1:10] in the Senate and the House, usually under oath, and sat for several days-long transcribed sworn interviews, [1:22] answering questions about the very issues that are now the subject of this hearing. [1:29] However, given Senator Paul's obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution, [1:39] his repeated slanderous comments about me, [1:42] and recently his publicly releasing my unredacted personal diary aimed at embarrassing and intimidating me, [1:55] the only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee [2:03] is to get me to say something, anything that could vindicate his repeated public pledges [2:12] that I end up, in his words, quote, behind bars, unquote. [2:19] Any reasonable person who has followed his unhinged obsession with me [2:26] would readily come to the same conclusion. [2:31] Therefore, although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government [2:40] and my decades-long record of cooperating with Congress, [2:47] under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution [2:53] to refrain from answering your questions. [2:57] Thank you. [3:00] We will now begin a round of questioning. [3:04] Dr. Fausti, your testimony today is compelled by a lawful subpoena. [3:08] As you know, it's a crime under 18 U.S.C. Section 1001 [3:13] to knowingly make a material false statement to Congress [3:16] with a penalty up to five years of imprisonment. [3:20] Understanding that you are under oath, [3:24] the American people would like to understand your reasoning, [3:29] your rationale for why you chose to fund the research in Wuhan. [3:36] There have been, you know, intelligence agencies, [3:40] the CIA, the FBI, the DOE have all come to the conclusion [3:44] that more likely than not the virus came from the lab in Wuhan. [3:48] And so we'd like to know what was the rationale, [3:50] what was the discussion, how, you know, [3:53] what went behind the decision to fund the research in Wuhan? [3:58] How did you come to the conclusion that a totalitarian country [4:01] would be capable of doing this in a VSL-2 lab, [4:05] a lab that lacked the security? [4:06] What was the reasoning? [4:07] And are you sorry, basically, for making the decision? [4:10] Would you, you know, like, given another chance, [4:13] say, well, gosh, circumstances, now as I know it, [4:15] maybe it wasn't a wise thing. [4:17] Can you explain to the committee [4:18] why you chose to fund this dangerous research in China? [4:24] On the advice of counsel, [4:25] I respectfully decline to answer, [4:28] based upon my rights [4:29] under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. [4:31] In the red folder on your table [4:36] is a copy of Section 192 of Title II of the U.S. Code. [4:41] Your counsel has been provided a copy as well. [4:44] That section makes it a crime [4:46] for a witness appearing under subpoena [4:48] to refuse to answer any questions pertinent [4:50] to the question under inquiry. [4:52] Do you have that in front of you? [4:56] On the advice of counsel, [4:57] I respectfully decline to answer, [5:00] based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment [5:02] and let the Constitution, [5:03] let the record record [5:05] that the witness has refused to answer [5:08] whether there's a folder in front of him [5:09] based on his Fifth Amendment right. [5:12] It is true that you're appearing [5:14] under direction of our subpoena [5:16] to provide testimony on matters [5:19] under consideration by the committee, [5:21] including the origins of COVID-19, [5:24] risky life sciences research, [5:25] and your tenure as a federal government employee. [5:28] Additionally, you've been provided [5:29] a full and unconditional pardon [5:31] dated January 19th, 2025 [5:35] for any offenses against the United States [5:38] which may have been committed [5:40] or taken part from January 1st, 2014 [5:43] through the date of the pardon [5:44] for a 10-year period. [5:49] Arising from or in any manner [5:50] related to your service [5:51] as director of the National Institute [5:53] for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, [5:56] as a member of the White House [5:57] Coronavirus Task Force, [5:59] or the White House COVID-19 Response Team, [6:01] or as chief medical advisor to the president, [6:03] have you refused this pardon [6:06] or do you have any reason to believe [6:08] this full and unconditional pardon, [6:10] this grant of immunity, [6:11] would somehow require you [6:14] to plead the Fifth Amendment? [6:17] On the advice of counsel, [6:19] I respectfully decline to answer [6:20] based upon my rights [6:22] under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. [6:26] Based on the facts presented, [6:27] I'm going to direct you [6:28] to answer the questions. [6:30] The committee has issued a valid subpoena. [6:32] They have requested your presence here. [6:34] The questions are very pertinent [6:36] to your decision-making [6:38] as head of NIAID [6:40] as well as a chief advisor to the president. [6:44] Do you still refuse to answer the questions? [6:48] On the advice of counsel, [6:50] I respectfully decline to answer [6:51] based upon my rights [6:53] under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. [6:55] Thank you.