9 hours ago
4
Former top US health official Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment during a hearing before a Republican-led Senate committee about the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The amendment to the US Constitution states that no individual can be "compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself".
Fauci's refusal to answer questions came at the beginning of the hearing on Wednesday, days after Republican Senator Rand Paul released Fauci writings in which he mused about his fame and the origins of Covid.
Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said Paul's release of his diary entries was one reason he would not answer senators' questions.
Fauci accused Paul of trying to get him to say something incriminating under oath.
"Although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government ... under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the constitution to refrain from answering your questions," Fauci said.
Taking the Fifth is not an admission of guilt - it is designed to protect individuals against coercion, mistakes, and unfair burden-shifting.
