The committee is chaired by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has long accused Fauci of deceiving Americans about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci said he testified before or briefed congressional committees over 200 times in his 38 years as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Paul focused his questioning on Fauci’s personal journal entries between December 2019 and December 2022, as well as the origins of COVID-19, but Fauci declined to answer the questions. Republicans on the committee hammered Fauci over entries in his journal that they claim show he contradicted himself and sought personal fame. Democratic senators thanked Fauci for his years in public service and dismissed the questions posed by their Republican colleagues.