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US Senate Panel Votes to Hold Anthony Fauci in Contempt
A US Senate committee voted to hold former infectious disease chief Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a Covid-19 hearing last…
The Story in Brief
A US Senate committee voted to hold former infectious disease chief Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a Covid-19 hearing last week. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will refer the matter to the Justice Department, whose Washington office will decide whether to investigate or prosecute.
Committee chairman Rand Paul said a pardon granted by former president Joe Biden removed Fauci’s protection from federal prosecution. Fauci argued that new statements could expose him to charges not covered by the pardon. Democratic lawmakers backed his right to remain silent, while Republican lawmakers said the vote concerned compliance with congressional questioning, not his pandemic record.
The Indian Opinion
The loudest claims are that Fauci either hid the truth or was trapped by a partisan committee. Both simplify a legal dispute. A pardon’s scope, the limits of congressional contempt and the Fifth Amendment cannot be settled by speeches alone. The Justice Department’s decision will matter more than the vote, especially whether it identifies a charge not covered by the pardon and explains how many unanswered questions support prosecution.
Source: livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
