Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) unleashed an expletive-filled attack on Dr. Anthony Fauci during a heated Senate hearing into the COVID-19 pandemic response, accusing the former White House medical adviser of failing Americans as Fauci repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment rights.
Appearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee under subpoena, Fauci declined to answer more than 100 questions from Republican senators, citing his constitutional right against self-incrimination.
Moreno used his questioning to condemn Fauci’s role during the pandemic, recalling an incident in 2020 in which an Ohio woman was arrested for refusing to wear a mask at a middle school football game in accordance with the school’s policy at the time.
“Here I am sitting in front of you six years later saying, who the f— do you think you were for doing that?” Moreno asked, blaming Fauci for pandemic-era public health policies, including mask mandates.
He also accused Fauci of being “more interested in being a celebrity than saving American people” and urged voters to watch the hearing ahead of the November midterm elections.
Fauci Repeatedly Invokes Constitutional Right
Throughout the hearing, Fauci refused to respond to several Republican questions, instead invoking the Fifth Amendment after consulting with his legal team.
Moreno instructed one of his aides to present Fauci with a pocket-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution and asked whether he understood the Fifth Amendment. Fauci again declined to answer, while one of his attorneys accepted the document on his behalf.
The Ohio senator also questioned why Fauci had brought legal representation to the hearing and referenced media reports about one of his attorneys.
Earlier in the proceedings, Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) ordered one of Fauci’s lawyers to leave the hearing room after the attorney repeatedly attempted to address the committee without being recognised.
Fauci Says Hearing Driven by Political Motives
In his opening remarks, Fauci argued that the hearing was politically motivated.
He claimed Sen. Paul had an “unhinged obsession” with him and alleged that the committee chairman hoped to obtain testimony that could support previous public statements calling for Fauci to face criminal prosecution.
“The sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, ‘behind bars,’” Fauci said.
The retired infectious disease specialist, now 85, has previously testified before congressional committees investigating the pandemic.
Republicans Focus on Pandemic Policies
Republican senators used much of the hearing to criticise pandemic restrictions, including mask mandates, lockdowns and broader public health policies implemented during the COVID-19 crisis.
During Moreno’s questioning, Fauci also declined a request to turn and face audience members attending the hearing who said they had been harmed by pandemic restrictions.
Among those present in the audience was Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
Moreno acknowledged that the exchanges could become campaign material ahead of the November midterm elections, saying he hoped voters would watch clips of the hearing.