Arkansas – Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders criticized former White House COVID-19 adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci after he repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during a high-profile Senate hearing, arguing that the American public deserves answers about decisions made during the pandemic.
“No facts, no testimony, no answers,” Sanders wrote on X following the hearing. “The American people deserve better from the ‘experts’ who shut our country down.”
Her comments came shortly after Fauci appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on July 29, where he declined to answer more than 100 questions from Republican lawmakers by invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Before doing so, Fauci told senators that, although the decision “pains” him, his attorneys had advised him to remain silent because of the legal and political circumstances surrounding the hearing, Reuters reported.
The hearing, chaired by Sen. Rand Paul, marked the latest chapter in years of congressional scrutiny surrounding the federal government’s response to COVID-19 and the origins of the virus. Paul has long accused Fauci of misleading Congress about federal funding connected to coronavirus research in Wuhan, China, allegations that Fauci has consistently denied. During his opening statement, Fauci argued that Paul had an “unhinged obsession” with prosecuting him and said he believed the hearing was intended to gather evidence against him rather than seek facts.
Republican lawmakers repeatedly questioned Fauci about pandemic lockdowns, school closures, federal funding for coronavirus research, and whether government officials were fully transparent with the public regarding the virus’s origins. After Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment throughout the hearing, Paul announced he would seek a committee vote to hold the former health official in contempt of Congress. Legal experts, however, noted that witnesses retain Fifth Amendment protections unless Congress grants immunity.
The hearing followed the public release of more than 1,000 pages of Fauci’s personal pandemic-era diary entries, which were obtained and released by Paul as part of the committee’s investigation. According to reports reviewing the journals, Fauci privately documented discussions about the possible origins of COVID-19, his interactions with President Donald Trump, and his rapid rise to national prominence during the pandemic. Some diary entries also reflected uncertainty about the virus’s origins while noting the possibility of a laboratory accident, although Fauci has maintained he consistently viewed both a lab leak and natural transmission as possibilities until more evidence became available, according to CBS News.
The journals also contained personal reflections on the extraordinary public attention Fauci received during the pandemic, including comments about becoming “the most famous and talked about person in the country.” Republicans have argued that portions of the diary appear inconsistent with Fauci’s public messaging on issues such as school closures and the debate over COVID-19’s origins. Fauci has rejected those claims, insisting that the diary entries align with what he publicly communicated throughout the pandemic.
Sanders has been among several Republican governors who have remained sharply critical of the pandemic restrictions imposed across the country during 2020 and 2021. Throughout the COVID-19 emergency, debates over school closures, business shutdowns, mask mandates and vaccine policies became major political issues, with Republicans arguing that many restrictions caused lasting damage to students, families, businesses and mental health.
Democrats defended Fauci following the hearing, arguing that Republicans were attempting to relitigate the pandemic for political purposes rather than uncover new facts. Sen. Gary Peters, the committee’s ranking Democrat, criticized the proceedings as a partisan effort to undermine public confidence in scientists who led the nation’s response to an unprecedented public health emergency.
Fauci served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly four decades before retiring in 2022. While supporters credit him with helping lead the country’s response during one of the most challenging public health crises in modern history, critics continue to question his role in shaping federal pandemic policies and communications.
Sanders’ latest statement places her among Republican officials calling for greater accountability from Fauci and other federal health leaders, arguing that Americans still deserve answers about the decisions that reshaped daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic.