共和党控制的参议院委员会就新冠疫情处理问题对已退休传染病专家安东尼·福奇进行了一场政治对抗。由参议员兰德·保罗主持的委员会于周四投票，以藐视国会罪名起诉这位85岁的前政府顾问，此前福奇在被传唤出庭作证时援引了第五修正案，称议员试图强迫他伪证。[1]
这一举动标志着共和党继续将新冠疫情政治化，试图对当时的政策制定者和科学家追究责任，该投票结果可能促使司法部启动调查。[1]与此同时，特朗普政府卫生部长罗伯特·肯尼迪二世在CNN上与主持人丹娜·巴什就疫情管理进行了辩论。[1]对于这些指控，超过150名传染病专家公开为福奇辩护，声称"没有可信证据支持这些荒谬指控"。[1]
A Republican-led Senate committee voted on Thursday to recommend contempt of Congress charges against retired infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci after he invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to testify about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic [1]. The committee, chaired by Sen. Rand Paul, had subpoenaed the 85-year-old scientist to provide testimony on the matter [1]. Fauci's assertion that committee members were attempting to coerce him into giving false statements prompted the legislative action [1].
The vote reflects continued Republican efforts to hold policy makers and scientists accountable for their pandemic response and marks a significant escalation in the political disputes surrounding COVID-19 that have persisted since the outbreak [1]. The contempt recommendation may prompt the Department of Justice to launch an investigation [1]. Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serving as health secretary in the Trump administration, debated pandemic management practices with CNN's Dana Bash [1].
In response to the committee's action, more than 150 infectious disease experts issued a defense of Fauci, asserting that "there is no credible evidence supporting these absurd allegations" [1]. Republicans have pursued inquiries into whether the COVID-19 virus's origins were connected to Chinese-funded research supported by the National Institutes of Health [1]. The Trump White House has also promoted social media content supporting the laboratory leak theory [1].