Dr Anthony Fauci faced renewed political attacks on Wednesday as he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights during a Senate hearing on the COVID-19 response, with Republican senators questioning him over the pandemic, research linked to the virus's origins and his role in the federal response. The hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee quickly turned into a political flashpoint after Sen Josh Hawley accused Fauci of getting rich during the pandemic and of avoiding scrutiny.
The session opened in a tense atmosphere after Sen Rand Paul ordered one of Fauci's attorneys to be escorted from the room when he tried to speak without being recognised. Paul told the lawyer he was not invited to testify and warned that if he kept interrupting, he would be removed from the proceedings.
