Former White House top medical advisor Anthony Fauci has chosen to exercise his constitutional right not to answer questions during a US Senate hearing regarding the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fauci appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, in a hearing chaired by Republican Senator Rand Paul, one of the harshest critics of his role during the health crisis.
During the testimony, Fauci stated that, on the advice of his lawyers, he would use the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, which allows individuals to remain silent if it could expose them to self-incrimination.
"With the advice of my attorney, I will exercise my right under the Fifth Amendment," Fauci said during the hearing.
He also accused Senator Rand Paul of an ongoing campaign against him, while Paul opposed the former health official's decision, arguing that he should answer questions from Congress.
The debate between the two took place in a tense atmosphere, with mutual accusations of political motivations and the way the pandemic has been managed.
The clash between Fauci and Rand Paul has been ongoing for years, particularly over issues such as funding for virus research, the origins of COVID-19, and decisions made during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump reacted by criticizing Fauci, stating that the Joe Biden administration had given him "great and destructive power."
Trump also repeated his claim that COVID-19 may have originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China, a theory that Fauci has disputed and that continues to remain a subject of debate among researchers and international institutions.
