The Senate committee chaired by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Thursday voted to refer former chief White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci to be held in contempt.
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The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved a contempt resolution in a party-line 8-5 vote, with two additional “no” votes by proxy, The Hill is reporting.
The vote followed Fauci’s hearing last week during which he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights 111 times, declining to answer any questions posed by the panel about COVID-19 pandemic responses, which infuriated Republican lawmakers.
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Paul gave opening remarks.
“Holding a witness in contempt is a serious thing, and it should be rare,” he said. “But the contempt power exists for precisely this circumstance. Oversight is not a courtesy. This committee extends or a favor a former official grants us. It is a constitutional obligation.”
Committee referrals typically proceed to a full Senate vote. However, Paul indicated he plans to send the referral directly to the Department of Justice to avoid delays, the report notes before adding the DOJ will ultimately decide whether to pursue the referral and that the referral is not binding on the department.
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