Dr. Anthony Fauci and his lawyers knew that invoking
his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a congressional
hearing this week was a gamble. The doctor millions trusted through the
pandemic risked looking like a man with something to hide.
His team decided it was his best play, according to
people familiar with his legal strategy - because his alternatives were worse.
His lawyers believed that answering could open him up to a perjury charge from
Republican opponents hunting for discrepancies in his near constant stream of
statements during the chaos of the pandemic. Refusing to testify at all could
land a contempt-of-Congress referral at President Trump’s Justice Department.
So this week Fauci invoked the Fifth more than 100
times during a combative Senate hearing, sitting silently as frustrated
Republican senators peppered him with expletives and accusations.
“You have for years avoided responsibility”, said
Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.), who led the charge against Fauci. “Loss of trust may
be your most damaging legacy”.
The scene marked a staggering shift for a man who,
at the height of the pandemic, marveled at his own “unimaginable” fame.
Americans sported socks and bobbleheads with his face. Time magazine put him on
its cover. Even Kim Kardashian facilitated a Zoom call with Fauci in April 2020
that drew celebrities ranging from Ariana Grande to Ashton Kutcher and Chris
Rock.
Now, despite a pre-emptive pardon from former
President Joe Biden, Fauci is confronting the biggest challenge to his legacy
to date:
https://wsj.visitlink.me/GCwIOv
https://wsj.visitlink.me/GCwIOv
