Senate committee votes to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress, seeking to bypass floor vote with DOJ referral

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Updated on: August 6, 2026 / 10:02 AM EDT

/ CBS News

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Washington — The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress over his refusal to answer questions during testimony before the committee last week, arguing that he inappropriately invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination."Holding a witness in contempt is a serious thing, and it should be rare," Sen. Rand Paul, the committee chairman, said as the panel gathered Thursday. "But the contempt power exists for precisely this circumstance."The GOP-led committee voted 8 to 5 Thursday on the resolution to hold Fauci in contempt, with all Democrats opposing, and two more opposing by proxy vote. While the next step would typically be a vote on the Senate floor, Paul told CBS News that he intends to send the contempt resolution directly to the Justice Department as a referral.