Fauci Senate Hearing and Contempt Discussion

Now this, yesterday Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment

four trillion and one times, according to Top Biro, but

it's actually 111 times, certainly high enough at a Senate hearing on COVID.

Here's a quick highlight reel if you want to call it that.

Did you fund gain-of-function research in other biolabs around the world?

On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer

based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.

On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer.

I respectfully decline to answer. I respectfully decline to answer.

I respectfully decline to answer. What color tie are you wearing?

On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer.

I know what color it was. Senator Rand Paul himself joins me now.

Senator, great to have you here. You want to hold Fauci in contempt for this.

You're going to need 60 votes to pass the resolution in the Senate. Do

you have the votes? Well, first step is to pass it out of committee,

and I think we do have the votes to pass it out of committee.

I think there are two different approaches we can take after that.

I think we can try for a vote on the floor,

which may not pass, or I can send the referral directly to the Department of Justice.

Nothing prevents me from doing that. I

have, in the past, individually sent a criminal referral to the Department of Justice.

It's simply a recommendation. It's not a law, so there is no mandate

that I have to go to the Senate floor on it.

And in all likelihood, we will pass it out of committee,

send it directly there with a legal brief,

pointing out the reasons why we think he is in contempt.

There is a legal question whether or not if you have a pardon,

you can still plead the fifth, and that is the question the Department

of Justice will have to determine in whether or not to file contempt charges.

You also kicked out Fauci's lawyer, did you not, out of the hearing.

Explain that situation.

You know, I think his behavior was unbecoming.

I think he wouldn't have done it in a courtroom.

I think a judge would have put him in jail for contempt for that kind of behavior.

He was told not to speak. He was not a presenter.

He was sitting, he was supposed to be sitting in the first row, and he was allowed to give advice.

We gave wide latitude. He had six lawyers there.

We said, you can talk to them and consult anytime you wish,

but you're not to speak. You're not testifying.

And the reason you don't want him to testify is Fauci's taking the fifth and not saying anything,

but he can't say anything positive or negative. And then if you let his lawyer give his positive statements on why,

oh, these are the answers to the questions, but my guy's not going to answer, that's not taking the fifth.

That's getting around the fifth and letting your lawyer testify.

So it was a trick they tried to pull on us, but they didn't observe the rules.

And I gave him three or four chances before having him escorted by security.

And I hope that the bar will look into his behavior and ask the question whether that's becoming of the lawyer.

Well, he says you're obsessed with him and you're just trying to intimidate him.

How do you respond to that?

A million Americans died.

Fifteen million people may have died worldwide.

This is not an obsession with him. It's an obsession what caused this.

I will say that the question of whether or not we should take taxpayer money

and fund research that changes an animal virus into a human virus,

I think is a death wish.

I think it's akin to nuclear weapons. I think it needs to be discussed.

And I have legislation that I put forward that if passed would have a presidential commission

of scientists to oversee this to make sure it never happened.

To make sure it never happened, you have to have the architect of it.

The guy who supports this has to ultimately come clean and say it was a mistake.

And he's yet to do that.