(The Center Square) – After Wednesday morning’s congressional hearing with former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci where he declined to answer any questions and instead pleaded the Fifth Amendment, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced he is launching an investigation into Fauci.
“Fauci’s lack of candor to Congress is unbelievable,” Uthmeier wrote on social media. “My office is launching an investigation into Dr. Fauci. It’s past time we get the truth of what happened during COVID.”
On the last day of his presidential term, former President Joe Biden granted Fauci a full and unconditional pardon for any offenses he may have “committed or taken part in” related to his governmental roles from Jan. 1, 2014, through Jan. 19, 2025, the day the pardon was signed.
The pardon protects Fauci from being prosecuted for any federal crimes he may have committed during that time period, but it does not protect him from state prosecutors.
Uthmeier is the first state attorney general to announce an investigation into Fauci, though as the Financial Times reported, others have threatened to since the pandemic.
Wednesday’s hearing came on the heels of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., obtaining and releasing over 1,000 pages from Fauci’s pandemic-era diary. Congress has questioned Fauci before, but access to the former director’s written personal thoughts prompted Republican lawmakers to again challenge him on Capitol Hill. Paul said the diary provided evidence that Fauci’s private thoughts did not align with his public health decisions.
Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate himself to dozens of questions, including questions as simple as the color of his tie and the color of the carpet. Paul, the chairman of the committee holding the hearing, also had one of Fauci’s lawyers thrown out of the hearing for repeatedly trying to speak without his permission.
After nearly three hours of statements and questions from lawmakers, Paul wrapped up the hearing but said that senators would be voting next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress.
