Richard Durbin

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) believes that Anthony Fauci — who pleaded the Fifth over 100 times before a Senate panel last week, refusing to answer questions about his lies during the pandemic — is an “example of American excellence” who “deserves an apology.”

Durbin made the remarks on the Senate floor this week following Fauci’s appearance before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. During that hearing last week, Fauci refused to answer a single question about his role in the pandemic, misleading statements, or contradictions found in his personal diary, the latter of which Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) released.

“Dr. Fauci is an example of American excellence, a brilliant scientific mind, and yet the Republican Party has chosen to make this doctor, who saved countless lives, a political target,” Durbin said on the Senate floor, falsely asserting that Republicans only subpoenaed Fauci to embarrass him.

“Last week, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs subpoenaed Dr. Fauci in front of Congress for a hearing, with the express goal of humiliating and vilifying him,” Durbin complained.

“For nearly three hours, my Republican colleagues berated, cursed, and insulted a man who has dedicated his life to protecting the health of American families. This behavior is below the dignity of the Senate,” he said, making no mention of the countless contradictions offered by Fauci and deliberate misinformation peddled throughout the pandemic.

“Put simply, it was an embarrassment. If my colleagues had genuine concern for America’s public health, it would turn their attention instead to the destruction wrought by this administration’s anti-science agenda,” the 81-year-old Democrat claimed, asserting that Republicans are only interested in relitigating “COVID conspiracy theories” — an ironic statement, given that Fauci himself admitted that scientists believed the virus likely stemmed from a lab leak in his personal diary, despite berating those who posed that as a possibility publicly.

“But my Republican Senate colleagues have chosen to ignore real life-and-death issues to relitigate COVID conspiracy theories, not in an effort to learn what might have gone wrong or how to prepare for the next pandemic, but instead to try and tear down a man who’s devoted his entire life to lifting others up,” he continued, declaring that Fauci “deserves an apology for the way he was treated by my colleagues.”

“And the American people deserve better than the pitiful display we saw in the Senate last Wednesday,” he added.

As Breitbart News reported, Fauci remained obstinate during the hearing, pleading the Fifth over 100 times. Chairman Paul made it clear there would be repercussions for Fauci’s refusal to answer questions.

“The chairman has denied your assertion of privilege and directed you to answer, but you nonetheless refuse and stand on privilege despite the existence of the pardon,” Paul pointed out during the event. “The committee will have to consider after this hearing what appropriate action should be taken against you for the failure to testify after being directed to do so.”

Indeed, Paul announced this week that the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will vote Thursday morning on a resolution to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress.

“Dr. Fauci appeared under subpoena and invoked the Fifth Amendment to refuse answering questions,” Paul said in a statement. “During the hearing, I ruled that the Fifth Amendment did not apply because of the pardon, and that Fauci had waived any remaining privilege by giving opening testimony. I ordered him to answer and warned him about contempt, yet he still refused.”

Paul added, “That is obstruction of a congressional investigation. The Committee will act accordingly.”