On Wednesday, July 29th, 2026, Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a contentious US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing. The hearing, chaired by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, focused on the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic and alleged US funding of coronavirus research in China.

Fauci declined to answer questions about American funding for research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and allegations that he misled Congress. He stated, "Although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government ... under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the constitution to refrain from answering your questions."

Senator Paul has repeatedly accused Fauci of covering up evidence supporting the lab-leak theory, suggesting Fauci "could be responsible for this entire pandemic" due to NIH sub-grants to the Wuhan institute. Paul released over 1,000 pages of Fauci’s pandemic-era diary entries days before the hearing, aiming to show discrepancies in Fauci’s public and private statements about Covid’s origins.

Fauci described Paul's investigation as an "unhinged obsession" aimed at putting him "behind bars." He has denied any wrongdoing in previous testimonies, calling allegations "simply preposterous."

Democratic Senator Gary Peters criticized the hearing as "relitigating the past," while Senator Richard Blumenthal accused the Trump administration of engaging in a campaign to rewrite pandemic history. The World Health Organization stated in 2025 that the natural origins theory remains the best-supported explanation but that origin determination is still inconclusive.

Following Fauci’s refusal to testify, Paul announced plans to reconvene the committee next week to consider holding Fauci in contempt of Congress. The hearing underscored ongoing political divisions surrounding the pandemic’s origins and the politicization of science.

Sources