{"id":2637370,"date":"2026-07-29T16:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T20:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/faucis-fifth-amendment-invocation-may-test-pardon-as-gop-eyes-contempt\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T16:49:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T20:49:41","slug":"faucis-fifth-amendment-invocation-may-test-pardon-as-gop-eyes-contempt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/faucis-fifth-amendment-invocation-may-test-pardon-as-gop-eyes-contempt\/","title":{"rendered":"Fauci\u2019s Fifth Amendment invocation may test pardon as GOP eyes contempt"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffaucis-fifth-amendment-invocation-may-test-pardon-as-gop-eyes-contempt%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2637370&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Dr. Anthony Fauci repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment rights during a congressional hearing,refusing to answer questions about his conduct related to COVID-19 and his work at the National Institute of Allergy and infectious Diseases. Senator Rand Paul accused Fauci of attempting to evade inquiry and warned him of potential contempt charges. Fauci&#8217;s legal strategy, influenced by a preemptive pardon from President Biden, was seen by legal experts as tactically sound, though politically damaging. The pardon, which covers offenses from 2014 to 2025, does not automatically eliminate the right to refuse to testify under the Fifth Amendment, especially when future conduct could be criminally prosecuted. Experts highlighted that the pardon is retroactive and does not cover perjury or false statements made during testimony. Fauci also accused Paul of trying to entrap him, while Fauci&#8217;s lawyer attempted to raise constitutional objections, leading to the lawyer&#8217;s removal by security. The legal avenues for Congress to compel Fauci to testify appear limited as long as he maintains his privilege claim; granting immunity could force testimony but would also shield him from prosecution. Some Republicans questioned the validity of biden\u2019s autopen pardon, but legal experts note that, if valid, it simply prevents future prosecution for past conduct. The hearing highlighted the complex interplay of legal protections, political considerations, and congressional oversight efforts.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/anthony-fauci\/\">Anthony Fauci<\/a> invoked his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fifth-amendment\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"2730\">Fifth Amendment<\/a> right against self-incrimination more than 100 times on Wednesday, a move legal experts described as strategically sound despite the politically damaging optics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rand-paul\/\">Rand Paul<\/a> (R-KY), chairman of the Senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee, scheduled an Aug. 5 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4667556\/rand-paul-vote-holding-anthony-fauci-contempt\/\">vote on a resolution<\/a> to hold the nation\u2019s former leading expert on the COVID-19 pandemic in contempt of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\">Congress<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4667697\/fauci-fifth-amendment-pardon-contempt\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Fauci\u2019s Fifth Amendment answers may test Biden pardon as GOP eyes contempt<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4667998\/interior-department-asks-congress-10-million-funding-freedom-250\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Interior Department asks Congress for $10 million more in funding for Freedom 250<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4667620\/bernie-moreno-anthony-fauci-covid-19-hearing\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Bernie Moreno rips Fauci: \u2018Who the f*** do you think you were?\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Rand Paul and Anthony Fauci. (AP photos)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/image-collage-anm8g6pq2-1785328475934-e1785329771581<\/a>.jpg?1785315365&#038;w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Rand Paul (R-KY), chairman of the Senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee, left, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (AP photos)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s against the law to obstruct an investigation of Congress,\u201d Paul told Fauci. \u201cThere will be repercussions for your refusal to testify.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two legal experts told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> following the hearing that the preemptive pardon Fauci received from former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\">Joe Biden<\/a> does not eliminate every potential source of criminal exposure \u2014 but that Fauci followed the safest legal strategy by appearing under subpoena but refusing to answer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLegally, he played it perfectly,\u201d former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said. \u201cNow politically, obviously, this is a disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-fauci-s-pardon-may-not-eliminate-fifth-amendment-privilege\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fauci\u2019s pardon may not eliminate Fifth Amendment privilege<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Biden pardoned Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, of any federal offenses arising from his government service between 2014 and Jan. 20, 2025. Some Republicans contend the pardon removed Fauci\u2019s right to remain silent about conduct during that period because he can no longer be prosecuted for it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou don\u2019t have any rights under the Fifth Amendment, because you\u2019ve been pardoned, as you very well know,\u201d Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/josh-hawley\/\">Josh Hawley<\/a> (R-MO) said, citing the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\">Supreme Court\u2019s<\/a> 1896 decision in <em>Brown v. Walker<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., left, next to Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., speaks as Dr. Anthony Fauci appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the Capitol, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Allison Robbert)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/AP26210532558776.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), left, next to Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), speaks as Dr. Anthony Fauci appears before the Senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee at the Capitol on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Allison Robbert)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The court said in that case that a witness generally cannot invoke the privilege for a pardoned offense because the threat of prosecution has been removed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Biden\u2019s pardon was retroactive, not prospective, Rahmani said. It would not cover perjury or false statements made during Wednesday\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s not a license to commit crimes,\u201d Rahmani said. \u201cBiden\u2019s pardon doesn\u2019t apply to future conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow and constitutional expert at the conservative Advancing American Freedom, agreed that Fauci could be prosecuted if his present testimony were proved false.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf he lies to the committee now about something that he said back then, he\u2019s not being prosecuted for what he said back then,\u201d von Spakovsky said. \u201cHe\u2019s being prosecuted for lying to the committee now.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A presidential pardon also applies only to federal offenses. Von Spakovsky said it cannot prevent a state from prosecuting conduct covered by the federal pardon if the conduct violated state law and the applicable limitation period remained open.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eugene Volokh of the UCLA School of Law and the Hoover Institution made the same distinction <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/volokh\/2024\/12\/02\/can-the-just-pardoned-hunter-biden-claim-privilege-against-self-incrimination-if-questioned-about-his-crimes\/\">in a 2024 analysis<\/a>, writing that the Fifth Amendment privilege disappears only when there is no realistic prospect of prosecution by any federal or state government.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-fauci-accuses-paul-of-seeking-to-entrap-him\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fauci accuses Paul of seeking to entrap him<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fauci used his opening statement to accuse Paul of conducting the hearing to fulfill his public pledges to put him \u201cbehind bars.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something \u2014 anything \u2014 that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, quote, \u2018behind bars,\u2019\u201d Fauci said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., left, sitting next to ranking member Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., speaks as Dr. Anthony Fauci appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the Capitol, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Allison Robbert)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/AP26210466825953.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Paul, left, sitting next to Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), the committee\u2019s ranking member. (AP Photo\/Allison Robbert)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fauci said Paul\u2019s goal was to entrap him and trigger an allegation that he had lied. He then repeatedly responded to questions: \u201cOn the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans questioned Fauci about a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4664470\/fauci-private-covid-diaries-takeaways-fame-prize-money-lab-leak-debate\/\">newly released private diary<\/a> that they said conflicted with his public statements about the origins of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/coronavirus\/\">coronavirus<\/a>, research conducted at a laboratory in Wuhan, China, and social-distancing policies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Von Spakovsky rejected Fauci\u2019s claim that the hearing amounted to entrapment but said the diary made invoking the Fifth Amendment the smartest legal option.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWere you lying then, or are you lying now?\u201d von Spakovsky said, describing the question Fauci could have faced. Taking the Fifth was \u201cthe only way for him not to have to admit to the truth of his diaries,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Capitol Police escort out Anthony Fauci\u2019s lawyer during Senate hearing. (Graeme Jennings\/Washington Examiner)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/IMG_5258.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Capitol Police escort out Fauci\u2019s lawyer, David Schertler, during the Senate hearing. (Graeme Jennings\/Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Paul warned Fauci of consequences, Fauci\u2019s lawyer, David Schertler, attempted to raise a constitutional objection. Paul ordered security to remove him from the hearing room.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-contempt-vote-faces-legal-obstacles\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contempt vote faces legal obstacles<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Senate could seek a civil order compelling Fauci to testify or approve a criminal contempt referral to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice-department\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"167\">Justice Department<\/a>. In theory, it could also employ its long-dormant inherent contempt power to detain him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rahmani said those avenues are unlikely to succeed as long as Fauci maintains a valid Fifth Amendment claim.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo judge in any courtroom in this country would hold that what he did today was legally inappropriate or unsound,\u201d Rahmani said. \u201cThe optics are really bad, but as far as legal recourse, there\u2019s nothing that Congress can do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, a 1961 federal appeals court decision presents an additional danger if a court rejects Fauci\u2019s privilege claim: Reliance on a lawyer\u2019s advice is not a defense to willfully defying Congress. Some judges have questioned that rule, but the D.C. Circuit has declined to overturn it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma., speaks as Dr. Anthony Fauci appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the Capitol, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Allison Robbert)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/AP26210526200904.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) speaks during the hearing. (AP Photo\/Allison Robbert)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-lankford\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"966\">James Lankford<\/a> (R-OK) compared Fauci\u2019s testimony to that of former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/irs\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1081\">IRS<\/a> official Lois Lerner, whom the House held in contempt after she asserted her innocence in an opening statement and then invoked the Fifth Amendment when faced with questions about the IRS\u2019s targeting of conservative groups during the Obama administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Justice Department declined to prosecute Lerner in 2015 for her 2013 testimony to Congress, finding that her general assertions did not waive the privilege and that the Fifth Amendment would provide an \u201cabsolute defense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fauci\u2019s opening statement was less ambitious. He criticized Paul\u2019s motives and announced that he would invoke the privilege but offered no factual account of the pandemic response and made no general claim of innocence.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-immunity-may-be-congress-s-only-path\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Immunity may be Congress\u2019s only path<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both legal experts said Congress could compel Fauci\u2019s testimony by granting immunity broad enough to eliminate his remaining criminal exposure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe only exception is if Congress grants him immunity,\u201d Rahmani said. \u201cThen, of course, he can be compelled to testify.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rahmani called that option a likely political \u201cnon-starter.\u201d Immunity could help the committee obtain information, but it would also protect Fauci from prosecution based on the compelled testimony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some Republicans, including Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chairman of the House oversight committee, have further complicated their position by questioning whether Biden\u2019s \u201cautopen pardon\u201d is valid. If the pardon was somehow found to be invalid, however, the renewed prospect of federal prosecution would serve only to bolster Fauci\u2019s Fifth Amendment invocation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Biden used an autopen device to sign the pardon for Fauci and many others just before leaving office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4667556\/rand-paul-vote-holding-anthony-fauci-contempt\/\">RAND PAUL TO HOLD COMMITTEE VOTE ON HOLDING FAUCI IN CONTEMPT FOR REFUSING TO TESTIFY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rahmani said the use of an autopen is legally established when authorized by the president. \u201cIt\u2019s a question of authorization, not the instrument itself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The contempt vote could push the competing theories toward court. But if the experts are right, Fauci\u2019s strategy was both legally smart and politically costly \u2014 and the pardon some Republicans question may leave immunity as their only viable route to his testimony.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment over 100 times; legal experts see it as a strategic move despite political backlash. Sen. Rand Paul plans to hold a contempt vote on Fauci&#8217;s refusal to testify<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2637371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/072926_WEX_ANTHONY_FAUCI-8-e1785341948514.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4434,45995,6203,51796],"class_list":["post-2637370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-fauci","tag-fifth-amendment","tag-gop","tag-pardon-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/072926_WEX_ANTHONY_FAUCI-8-e1785341948514.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2637370"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2637374,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637370\/revisions\/2637374"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2637371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2637370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2637370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2637370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}