Hawley tears into Fauci for chatting with life-style magazines however not Congress

“On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution,” Fauci mentioned in response to every one in all Hawley’s questions.

Hawley bashed Fauci for his Fifth Amendment invocations, contrasting his refusal to reply senators’ questions along with his selection to take a seat down for an In-Style Magazine photoshoot and have interview, which seems to now not be out there on InStyle’s website, in 2020. He additionally accused Fauci of making the most of his public well being function by looking for money awards.

“You had time to sit for InStyle magazine,” Hawley mentioned. “Here’s what you were doing with your time. You could sit for InStyle magazine, but you can’t answer questions for the American people. You could sit for InStyle magazine, but you’re here taking the Fifth. You could sit for InStyle magazine and get a million bucks in cash awards, but now the cat’s got your tongue. I bet he does.”

Hawley accused Fauci of utilizing his authorities employees to advocate and apply for money awards on his behalf, saying, “You turned your staff into a full-time application machine.” Fauci refused to answer any of Hawley’s questions or accusations, persevering with to plead the Fifth as he did all through the listening to.

“It wasn’t just about the money, really, was it? It was really about a power trip,” Hawley mentioned. “I mean, through all of this, you want to be the most famous scientist in the world. You were so focused on getting every award and every drop of cash that you could, all because you wanted to be on TV. You wanted to be the sun god of science. You wanted to be the guy who was in charge of it all.”

Fauci instructed the committee originally of the listening to in his opening assertion that he could be pleading the Fifth due to Paul’s “unhinged obsession” with Fauci and his response to the pandemic.

RAND PAUL TO HOLD COMMITTEE VOTE ON HOLDING FAUCI IN CONTEMPT FOR REFUSING TO TESTIFY

“The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, ‘behind bars,’” Fauci mentioned of Paul.

“Therefore, although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government and my decadeslong record of cooperating with Congress, 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 mentioned.