美国前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国土安全委员会投票表决藐视他之后，拒绝了参议院第二个委员会小组的自愿出席请求[1]。福奇的律师表示，强制他在7月29日听证会后再次出席参议院小组委员会属于对他的政治骚扰[1]。
此前在COVID-19疫情应对听证会上，福奇援引第五修正案100次，导致8月6日的藐视投票，并被转交司法部门调查[1]。共和党参议员兰德·保罗声称拜登总统已对福奇进行了预先赦免，因此不适用第五修正案保护[1]。参议院调查小组委员会主席罗恩·约翰逊试图就COVID-19疫苗的安全性和有效性等问题展开平行调查[1]。
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has declined a voluntary request to appear before a second Senate committee panel after a Republican-led vote on contempt charges against him [1]. According to his legal counsel, compelling Fauci to testify again before a Senate subcommittee following his July 29 hearing would constitute political harassment [1].
The dispute stems from Fauci's invocation of the Fifth Amendment 100 times during the earlier COVID-19 pandemic response hearing [1]. The Republican-controlled chamber voted on August 6 to hold him in contempt, with the matter subsequently referred to the Department of Justice [1]. Republican Senator Rand Paul has argued that President Biden has already granted Fauci a preemptive pardon, rendering Fifth Amendment protections inapplicable [1]. Ron Johnson, who chairs the Senate investigative subcommittee, has sought to pursue a parallel inquiry into questions surrounding COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness [1].