Dr. Fauci takes the Fifth UPDATED

It’s no secret at this point that Anthony Fauci, when summoned before the Senate to testify today, took the Fifth repeatedly:

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Many people were surprised that he did so. After all, one of the last things that happened during Biden’s presidency was that Fauci received a full pardon, one that extended back to 2014, long before COVID appeared in the U.S. This protected every bit of Chinese bat work in which Fauci was involved, as well as his conduct in America after COVID hit:

With a pardon in his back pocket, surely Fauci would be obligated to testify, given that he was safe from prosecution. Rand Paul certainly thinks so, and he announced that the Senate will have a vote to hold Fauci in contempt:

That seems obvious, doesn’t it? Well, maybe not so much. Here are three reasons why Fauci would plead the Fifth:

First, Fauci is worried that Mr. Autopen, rather than President Biden, signed the pardon, making the pardon invalid. It was safer to plead the Fifth and risk a contempt hearing than to start answering questions.

Second, Fauci knows that there is absolutely no way to keep his lies straight. Lying to Congress can carry a penalty of up to five years, while contempt of Congress means only one year in prison. Pleading the Fifth is the better bet.

Third, the AutoPen pardon extends only to federal crimes. What Fauci did affected states, individuals, and businesses. Just yesterday, I was talking to a friend who is also a lawyer. We discussed the kinds of actions that could be filed against Fauci. These could range from civil actions for lost profits for a business or individual to wrongful death actions for people locked in old age homes to criminal actions at the state level for the many victims of Fauci’s sins.

However, my friend and I weren’t certain whether these claims would really fly. After all, there were so many causal issues that eventually converged in the death and destruction that stalked America during the COVID era that it might be hard to pin any single civil or criminal claim on Fauci. That being the case, it might be difficult to meet the burden of proof in a civil case, let alone a criminal one.

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Clearly, though, Fauci is worried, and maybe he’s right. Florida is already examining exactly how Fauci can be brought to justice:

I expect other state attorneys general to follow suit. Knowing this, Fauci couldn’t afford to do anything other than plead the Fifth.

Despite all this, Fauci’s goose is not completely cooked. His loyal followers will never give up on him, especially because their social media algorithms and the mainstream media to which they’re still loyal will keep them insulated from any actual news. (For more on how this works, check out my podcast from yesterday. Also, don’t forget, as a general matter, to check out our new podcast corner, with daily American Thinker podcasts and recommended podcasts from other creators.)

As just one example of the Praetorian Guard that lovingly surrounds Fauci, consider this headline from MSNOW: “Fauci foils the GOP’s plans to use his private diaries against him.” The only news for half the country is that Republicans are pouncing. Fauci’s halo remains intact.

As for me, I’m with this guy:

Picking up where the visible part of the tweet leaves off:

…arguably one of the greatest mass murderers in world history.

Perhaps that’s why what his personal diary says about the pandemic’s origins differs so dramatically from what his public statements said.

Fauci may not face man’s justice in this life, but I wouldn’t want to be him in the Afterlife.

UPDATE: The legal ramifications of Fauci taking the Fifth:

YouTube. Public domain (C-SPAN).