Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has formally declined a request to sit for a transcribed interview with the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The request was issued by the subcommittee’s ranking member, Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), as part of an ongoing congressional inquiry into the federal government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter addressed to Senator Johnson this past Friday, attorneys representing Dr. Fauci stated that their client would not be appearing for the interview. The correspondence noted that Dr. Fauci intends to continue asserting his Fifth Amendment rights, a legal protection against self-incrimination, in relation to the subcommittee's requests.

Senator Johnson has been a vocal critic of Dr. Fauci’s tenure and the broader federal response to the pandemic, frequently calling for greater transparency and accountability regarding the origins of the virus and the implementation of public health mandates. Dr. Fauci has previously testified before various congressional committees throughout the pandemic, but his legal team’s decision to cite the Fifth Amendment marks a shift in his approach to these specific investigative requests from the subcommittee. The refusal highlights the ongoing tension between Republican-led oversight efforts in the Senate and former executive branch officials involved in the pandemic response. As of now, it is unclear if the subcommittee will attempt to compel testimony through a subpoena or pursue other legal avenues to secure Dr. Fauci’s participation in the investigation.