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Senate Panel Obtains Forensic Copy of Fauci's Cellphone
A Senate committee led by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) has obtained a forensic copy of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s cellphone.
The Department of Health and Human Services handed over the device data to the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The development follows the release of Fauci’s personal journals after HHS turned them over to Congress.
Johnson’s office said the cellphone dates back to Fauci’s tenure as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The device is now overseen by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long accused Fauci of protecting the pharmaceutical industry and undermining individual freedoms.
Investigators are also reviewing a much larger collection of records. Johnson and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) obtained millions of pages from federal databases related to Fauci and are seeking additional material, according to people familiar with the matter. At the same time, attorneys general in at least four Republican-led states have opened separate investigations into Fauci.
Johnson and Paul ramped up their efforts on their investigation into Fauci as they looked into the federal pandemic policies and the origins of the coronavirus. Paul’s committee is expected to vote Thursday on whether Fauci should be held in contempt after he declined to answer questions during a hearing last week.
Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times, accused Paul of fixating on him, and said that he had already appeared before Congress or briefed lawmakers hundreds of times during his career.
“Under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the 5th Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions,” Fauci asserted before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Fauci became one of the most visible figures in the government’s pandemic response, frequently clashing with then-President Donald Trump over public health guidance and later drawing sustained criticism from conservatives.