Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, received a pardon courtesy of Joe Biden's autopen. But even should Republicans fail to prove the illegitimacy of that pardon, it would not protect him from charges at the state level.
Fauci appeared July 29 before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where he said basically nothing except to plead the Fifth Amendment, which he actually likely cannot do since he received the presidential pardon. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier evidently was keeping an eye on the proceedings, because after the hearing on Wednesday, he posted on X, “Fauci's lack of candor to Congress is unbelievable. My office is launching an investigation into Dr. Fauci. It's past time we get the truth of what happened during COVID.”
This announcement is potentially game-changing because if Uthmeier does end up uncovering evidence leading to charges against Fauci, the Biden pardon would not protect Fauci.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) did warn Fauci that the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee would be voting on whether to hold him in contempt of Congress, which could result in up to a year in prison and a fine of $100,000 depending on how the process goes. But unfortunately, Senate Republicans usually do not ultimately follow through on such threats. So it would be great to have at least two options for bringing Fauci to accountability—one at the federal level in Congress, and the other at the state level.
Read More Here: If Paul Follows Through on This Threat, Fauci Could Have Jail Time
Uthmeier’s post was very brief, so of course, as of right now, we don’t have any details as to what he thinks he’s going to uncover that could lead to criminal charges. In the above link, I examine several instances where Fauci apparently lied under oath, contrasting his statements during congressional testimony with his statements either in interviews or in his private journal log.
BREAKING: Dr. Fauci pleads the 5th amendment during his opening statement & says he will decline to answer questions before Congress today!
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) July 29, 2026
Fauci apparently pleaded the Fifth up to 111 times during the hearing, which, as I noted above, he can probably no longer do because of the presidential pardon.
BREAKING: Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times and refused to answer lawmakers' questions during Wednesday's Senate hearing.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 29, 2026
Senator Rand Paul, who has repeatedly accused Fauci of misleading the public about COVID-19's origins and the government's pandemic… pic.twitter.com/Dd2olxUbHl
Especially after the release of so many of the entries he wrote while he was serving as NIAID director, illustrating how different his public and private rhetoric were and how he tried to sabotage any COVID-19 response that did not align with his preconceived opinions, Fauci has to know anything he says is incriminating.
Hence, it is not really surprising that he refused to say anything during the congressional hearing. In fact, given how long he has gotten away with the corruption, he probably just assumes he will never face true accountability. Let’s hope Uthmeier can flip that script.
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