Rand Paul

Washington DC [US], July 30 (ANI): Former US Chief Medical Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment during a Republican-led Senate hearing on Wednesday, declining to respond to queries regarding his oversight of the federal COVID-19 strategy after being subpoenaed to testify.

Fauci, who directed the American pandemic response, stated that he was acting on legal counsel and characterised the decision as difficult. His refusal to provide testimony swiftly intensified friction in an already polarised political confrontation concerning the origins and management of the coronavirus outbreak.

The proceedings were convened at the request of Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has persistently accused Fauci of misinforming Congress about the origins of COVID-19 and US government involvement in associated research.

In his opening statement, Fauci accused Paul of conducting a political drive intended to secure his indictment.

"The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this Committee is to prompt me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, 'behind bars,'" Fauci said.

In response, Paul asserted that Fauci helped finance viral research that contributed to the global pandemic and subsequently sought to conceal his role.