Senate pushes contempt vote on Dr. Anthony Fauci after obtaining his phone

A Senate committee is scheduled to vote on Thursday on whether to hold Dr. Anthony S. Fauci in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions at a recent hearing. Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times, prompting Republican chair Rand Paul to argue that his presidential pardon does not shield him from accountability.

Senator Ron Johnson’s subcommittee has obtained a forensic copy of Fauci’s pandemic‑era iPhone from the Department of Health and Human Services, hoping the device will address the unanswered questions. The copy will be reviewed as the full Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee considers referring the matter to the Justice Department.

Separately, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a subpoena demanding documents about Fauci’s alleged self‑dealing and potential violations of Florida law, asserting that the Biden pardon does not protect Fauci from state‑level charges.