Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Wednesday, July 30th, 2026, that his office is launching an investigation into Dr. Anthony Fauci. This action follows Fauci's decision to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times during a Senate hearing focused on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fauci, who served as the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 38 years and was a prominent figure in the U.S. pandemic response, invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times during testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In his opening remarks, Fauci attributed his refusal to answer questions to what he described as committee Chair Rand Paul’s "obvious obsession" with prosecuting him. Fauci stated, "The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up in his words ‘behind bars.’"

Committee member Ashley Moody (R) expressed frustration over Fauci's refusal to answer questions, calling it "incredibly frustrating" and "tragic" for the country. Moody emphasized that the measures Florida took to limit federal intervention during the pandemic were effectively on trial, and Fauci's consistent invocation of the Fifth Amendment prevented any answers.

Following the hearing, Chair Rand Paul indicated he will seek a committee vote next week to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress.

Attorney General Uthmeier criticized Fauci's lack of transparency, writing on the social platform X, "Fauci’s lack of candor to Congress is unbelievable. My office is launching an investigation into Dr. Fauci. It’s past time we get the truth of what happened during COVID."

Sources