Sen. Ted Cruz is not letting Washington's favorite pandemic bureaucrat slip quietly into retirement sainthood. Fauci served as a former White House Covid adviser and longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Cruz accused Fauci of treating Congress and ordinary Americans with contempt while presenting himself for years as the final authority on the virus. "I think Anthony Fauci has had contempt for Congress and contempt for the American people for decades," he said. The former pandemic adviser refused to answer questions throughout the session, leaning repeatedly on the Fifth Amendment to avoid self incrimination.