Fauci said, adding that while it pained him to do so, he was following his attorney’s advice by taking the Fifth. Democrats called the hearing a politically motivated attempt at entrapping Fauci and praised the scientist for his work during the pandemic. With Fauci declining to answer questions throughout, Paul dominated the approximately three-hour hearing, listing a litany of accusations and detailed questions. In one heated moment of the hearing, Paul ejected Fauci attorney David Schertler from the room after he tried to speak without being recognized. Paul released some of Fauci’s diaryLeading up to the hearing, Paul released more than 1,000 pages of Fauci’s personal diary covering the pandemic years.