Politics
BREAKING: Rand Paul To Pursue Brilliant Procedural Move To Fastrack Fauci Prosecution Without Democrats
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said Wednesday that a planned contempt resolution against former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci could be sent directly to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution rather than advancing through the full Senate.
Speaking with Fox News after a contentious Senate hearing, Paul outlined what he believes is the next step after Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment while testifying before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
“It’s actually a law. It’s a resolution,” Paul said when asked about the committee’s plans. “So it’s a resolution saying that he should be considered for charges for contempt of Congress. I think if that resolution passes our committee, which it will, that it could simply be referred directly to the Department of Justice.”
“Since it’s not really a law, it doesn’t have an exact procedure,” Paul explained. “It doesn’t have a procedure where it goes to the president for signature. It doesn’t have to go to the House.”
The Kentucky senator also revealed that he has previously asked federal prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against Fauci, though those requests did not result in any action.
“I myself have individually referred him in the past for prosecution,” Paul said. “I sent two letters saying that he destroyed records and he lied to Congress, both felonies.”
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According to Paul, those referrals were first sent to the Biden administration’s Department of Justice but were not acted upon. He added that he has also submitted information to the Trump administration’s Justice Department.
“I’ve also sent it to the Trump DOJ twice,” Paul said. “I’ve sent information and evidence saying it did so. So I think there’s a possibility that we don’t go to the whole Senate floor, but that the committee passes it and we go directly to the Department of Justice.”
Paul’s comments came just hours after Fauci appeared under subpoena before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for a hearing focused on the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the origins of the coronavirus.
Before questioning began, Fauci delivered an opening statement accusing Republicans of attempting to build a criminal case against him rather than conduct legitimate congressional oversight. Acting on the advice of his attorneys, Fauci repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer virtually every substantive question posed by lawmakers.
Throughout the hearing, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times, refusing to respond to questions about pandemic policies, National Institutes of Health funding connected to coronavirus research, lockdown decisions, vaccine guidance and other issues raised by Republican senators.
Paul criticized Fauci’s refusal to testify, arguing that the American public deserves answers regarding decisions made during the pandemic and previous statements Fauci made before Congress. The committee chairman announced that lawmakers intend to vote next week on a resolution seeking to hold Fauci in contempt for refusing to answer questions.
The hearing also became heated when Paul ordered one of Fauci’s attorneys removed after the attorney attempted to speak without being recognized by the committee chair.
Democratic members of the committee defended Fauci throughout the proceedings, arguing that the hearing was politically motivated and that the former public health official had legitimate reasons to invoke his constitutional rights given repeated calls for criminal prosecution. They maintained that Republicans had already reached conclusions before the hearing began and were using the proceeding to reinforce those claims.
The hearing followed Paul’s recent release of more than 1,100 pages of Fauci’s pandemic-era diaries, which the senator says raise additional questions about the government’s handling of COVID-19. Fauci has rejected those allegations, insisting that his diary entries are consistent with his public statements and denying that he committed any wrongdoing.
If the committee approves the contempt resolution as Paul expects, lawmakers will then determine whether to pursue the direct referral process the senator described, potentially placing the matter before the Department of Justice for consideration.
