A Senate committee voted Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt for refusing to answer questions about the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when he declined to testify last week.
Sen. Rand Paul, who pushed for the contempt finding, said he plans to send a criminal contempt referral directly to the Justice Department, which would decide whether to prosecute.
Paul did not bring the matter to a full Senate vote. A former Justice Department official described that as an unusual maneuver. Tom Dupree, a former deputy assistant attorney general, commented on the approach.