前美国国家过敏和传染病研究所主任安东尼·福奇在共和党主导的参议院听证会上，因新冠疫情起源及应对政策受到质询，但在律师建议下多次援引美国宪法第五修正案拒绝作答[1][2][3]。这场于2026年7月30日周三举行的听证会由参议员兰德·保罗主持，福奇遭遇超过100个问题的质询[3]。福奇在听证会上声明："尽管这让我感到遗憾，但考虑到我对立法部门的尊重和数十年与国会合作的历史，根据我律师的建议，我将行使美国宪法第五修正案赋予我的权利，拒绝回答你们的问题。"[1]
保罗随后宣布将在下周推进对福奇的藐视国会投票[1][3]。保罗指责福奇在疫情起源和应对方面撒谎，同时发布了一份1141页的福奇疫情期间日记，涉及2019年12月至2022年12月期间[3]。共和党议员还批评福奇隐瞒疫苗不利信息、支持对军人的强制接种政策等[1]。福奇否认所有指控，称此举属于政治迫害[3]。
美国前总统拜登于2025年1月19日对福奇进行了预先赦免[3]。此外，155名科学家发表公开信，要求政府停止"妖魔化和骚扰美国科学家"[1]。关于疫情起源，FBI在2023年表示武汉实验室泄露可能导致了疫情，而CIA在2025年1月则称实验室泄露可能性较大但信心不足[3]。福奇曾领导美国国家过敏和传染病研究所长达38年，美国累计COVID-19死亡人数超过110万[3]。
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, declined to answer more than 100 questions during a Republican-led Senate hearing on Wednesday, July 30, 2026, citing his constitutional right under the Fifth Amendment [3]. Appearing under subpoena on Capitol Hill, Fauci stated: "Although it pains me to do so, because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government and my decades-long record of cooperating with Congress, under the advice of my attorneys I will invoke my right under the fifth amendment of the constitution to refrain from answering your questions" [1].
Senator Rand Paul, who led the hearing, accused Fauci of dishonesty regarding the origins of COVID-19 and the government's pandemic response, and announced plans to pursue a contempt of Congress vote against him in the following week [1][3]. Paul released a 1,141-page compilation of Fauci's diary entries covering the period from December 2019 through December 2022 [3]. Republican lawmakers criticized Fauci on multiple fronts, including allegations that he concealed adverse vaccine information and supported policies mandating military vaccination [1]. Fauci denied all accusations, characterizing the proceedings as political persecution [3].
The hearing came after President Joe Biden issued a preemptive presidential pardon to Fauci on January 19, 2025 [3]. Intelligence agencies offered competing assessments of the pandemic's origins: the FBI stated in 2023 that a laboratory leak from the Wuhan facility was a possible cause, while the CIA concluded in January 2025 that a laboratory leak was more likely but lacked sufficient confidence in that assessment [3]. The United States recorded over 1.1 million COVID-19 deaths [3]. Meanwhile, 155 scientists issued an open letter calling on the government to cease "demonizing and harassing American scientists" [1].