Dr. Anthony Fauci is sworn in before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the Capitol, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Washington. Through the hearing, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times. Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks as Dr. Anthony Fauci appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the Capitol, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Washington. Dr. Anthony Fauci appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the Capitol, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Washington. Committee highlights inconsistencies in COVID-19 responseDuring a 2024 hearing, Fauci said the six-foot social-distancing guideline “sort of just appeared” without being grounded in clinical trials.