Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci’s repeated decision to invoke the Fifth Amendment during a congressional hearing has sparked renewed calls for accountability, with The Post Millennial and Human Events Editor-in-Chief Libby Emmons and host Jack Posobiec arguing that the former health official used the constitutional protection to avoid answering questions from lawmakers.
Fauci pleaded the Fifth Amendment over a hundred times during Wednesday’s hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, prompting committee chairman Sen. Rand Paul to announce that members would vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress.
During the Wednesday episode of Human Events Daily, Posobiec questioned why Fauci would invoke the Fifth after receiving a presidential pardon from former President Joe Biden, while Emmons argued that the pardon removed his ability to claim protection against self-incrimination. “Yes, I do support this, and I will tell you why,” Emmons said of the contempt vote. “Because Dr. Fauci was given a blanket pardon by the Biden administration.”
“Joe Biden's autopen told him that he was not going to be held liable for any crimes that he may have committed,” she continued. “It didn't even list crimes.” Emmons cited arguments made by Sen. Josh Hawley, who said during the hearing that a pardon could affect a person’s ability to invoke the Fifth Amendment.
“Once you are pardoned, you are not entitled to take the Fifth,” Emmons said. “And that's something that Senator Josh Hawley pointed out during these hearings, saying that per a case from 1896, the Supreme Court said that if you are granted a pardon, the Fifth Amendment no longer applies to you because you can't be prosecuted for anything that you say.”
“He's not taking the Fifth because of his past behavior,” Posobiec said. “He's taking it because he's worried about getting caught in a perjury trap today.”
Posobiec said the hearing raised broader questions about Fauci’s conduct during the Covid-19 pandemic, arguing that the former official had used his position to influence public policy. "We know what Dr. Fauci did to this country,” Posobiec said. “We now know that he knew the truth in those diaries.”
Emmons accused Fauci of being motivated by public attention, pointing to his personal records of media appearances. “We saw everything that he was saying about the press, how enamored he was with the attention that he was getting, not just in the United States, but globally,” Emmons said.
“He loved the stardom. He loved everybody paying so much attention to him.” She also said that Fauci’s pandemic-era decisions, particularly regarding school closures, had lasting consequences.
“We look in his diaries and we see how pleased he is at the influence that he had over the de Blasio administration in New York City to shut down schools and also over Gavin Newsom's California,” Emmons said.
Fauci pleaded the Fifth Amendment over a hundred times during Wednesday’s hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, prompting committee chairman Sen. Rand Paul to announce that members would vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress.
During the Wednesday episode of Human Events Daily, Posobiec questioned why Fauci would invoke the Fifth after receiving a presidential pardon from former President Joe Biden, while Emmons argued that the pardon removed his ability to claim protection against self-incrimination. “Yes, I do support this, and I will tell you why,” Emmons said of the contempt vote. “Because Dr. Fauci was given a blanket pardon by the Biden administration.”
“Joe Biden's autopen told him that he was not going to be held liable for any crimes that he may have committed,” she continued. “It didn't even list crimes.” Emmons cited arguments made by Sen. Josh Hawley, who said during the hearing that a pardon could affect a person’s ability to invoke the Fifth Amendment.
“Once you are pardoned, you are not entitled to take the Fifth,” Emmons said. “And that's something that Senator Josh Hawley pointed out during these hearings, saying that per a case from 1896, the Supreme Court said that if you are granted a pardon, the Fifth Amendment no longer applies to you because you can't be prosecuted for anything that you say.”
“He's not taking the Fifth because of his past behavior,” Posobiec said. “He's taking it because he's worried about getting caught in a perjury trap today.”
Posobiec said the hearing raised broader questions about Fauci’s conduct during the Covid-19 pandemic, arguing that the former official had used his position to influence public policy. "We know what Dr. Fauci did to this country,” Posobiec said. “We now know that he knew the truth in those diaries.”
Emmons accused Fauci of being motivated by public attention, pointing to his personal records of media appearances. “We saw everything that he was saying about the press, how enamored he was with the attention that he was getting, not just in the United States, but globally,” Emmons said.
“He loved the stardom. He loved everybody paying so much attention to him.” She also said that Fauci’s pandemic-era decisions, particularly regarding school closures, had lasting consequences.
“We look in his diaries and we see how pleased he is at the influence that he had over the de Blasio administration in New York City to shut down schools and also over Gavin Newsom's California,” Emmons said.
