Dr Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a Senate panel on Wednesday, refusing to answer lawmakers' questions to shield himself from potential perjury charges as Congress re-examines the origins of COVID-19 and the official pandemic response.
Dr Fauci's move caught attendees at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing off guard and provoked Chairman Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has urged the Department of Justice to consider criminal charges against the scientist.