The Senate Homeland Security Committee is set to vote Thursday on whether to hold former chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. The move follows a hearing last week focused on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the proceedings, Dr. Fauci declined to answer questions from senators over 100 times. By invoking the Fifth Amendment and refusing to answer dozens of questions, he angered Republican lawmakers who have targeted him for years.
A contempt finding could lead to a referral to the Justice Department for potential prosecution. Furthermore, such a finding could open the door to an investigation into whether Dr. Fauci had a valid constitutional right against self-incrimination when he refused to answer the lawmakers' questions.