Moreno Puts Fauci Back in the Hot Seat

Fauci Repeatedly Invoked the Fifth Amendment

Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio is not letting Dr. Anthony Fauci quietly walk away from the COVID-era questions that still hang over Washington like a bad smell in a sealed room.

According to the report, Moreno delivered a pointed response about Fauci reportedly pleading the Fifth during testimony. That matters because Fauci was not some back-office staffer nobody had ever heard of. He was one of the most visible public health officials in America during the pandemic, and his advice helped shape school closures, business restrictions, masking rules, vaccine pressure, and the daily lives of millions of families.

When a public figure with that much power refuses to answer certain questions under oath, Americans are allowed to notice. The Fifth Amendment Is a Right, Not a Magic Eraser.

In the Fauci case, he refused to answer one question in the three hour Senate hearing. To be clear, the Fifth Amendment is part of the Constitution, and every American has the right to avoid self-incrimination. Conservatives should defend that right even when the person using it is someone they do not trust.

Moreno cited a 2020 incident in Ohio where a mother was tased and arrested at a middle school football game for violating a face mask policy. Moreno stated that this exact event inspired him to run for office, before asking Fauci: "Who the f** do you think you were for doing that?"

But there is also a political and public accountability side to this. If a former top government official repeatedly invokes the Fifth during questioning, voters do not have to pretend it is just another boring legal footnote. The same crowd that told Americans to “follow the science” now seems far less eager to follow the questions.

Funny how that works.

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