Fauci refuses to answer questions in the US Senate about COVID-19
Former White House top medical advisor Anthony Fauci has invoked his constitutional right under the Fifth Amendment to not answer questions during a US Senate hearing regarding the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fauci appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, in a hearing chaired by Republican Senator Rand Paul, who has long criticized Fauci's role during the pandemic and raised questions on issues such as funding for virus research and the origins of COVID-19.
During the testimony, Fauci stated that, on the advice of his lawyers, he would exercise his right to remain silent if they could expose him to self-incrimination.
He also criticized Senator Paul, accusing him of a continuous campaign against him, writes CNN.
Senator Rand Paul opposed Fauci's decision to remain silent, arguing that he should answer questions from Congress.
The hearing took place in a tense atmosphere, as the parties exchanged accusations about the political motives of the investigation.
The clash between Fauci and Rand Paul has been going on for years and has returned to the center of political debate in the US, especially due to discussions about the origins of the coronavirus, pandemic policies, and health decision-making during the global crisis.
Otherwise, US President Donald Trump has reacted by claiming that "Biden gave Fauci great and destructive power. The rest is history."
Trump also repeated his claim that the COVID-19 virus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China, a theory that Fauci has disputed and for which there has been ongoing debate in the scientific community. /Telegraph