Political commentator Tucker Carlson mocked Dr. Anthony Fauci’s appearance before a Senate committee on Wednesday, calling him "a sad and terrified old man" after the former health official repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment.
On his podcast, Carlson said Fauci appeared to be "shaking," "terrified," and "captured by his own narcissism." He also called Fauci "pathetic" and criticized him for reading a response asserting his constitutional right against self-incrimination.
Carlson sharpened the attack on X. "Covid and the banality of evil," he wrote. "Most people assumed Tony Fauci was either a brilliant scientist or an evil mastermind, or maybe both. His diary reveals he’s just a vain teenage girl pining for cable news hits."
Fifth Amendment Standoff Deepens Partisan Divide
The remarks followed Wednesday’s contentious Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, where Fauci declined to answer more than 100 questions. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) subpoenaed Fauci after releasing more than 1,000 pages of his pandemic-era journals and alleging that his private notes conflicted with earlier public statements.
Fauci said Paul had an "obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution" and accused the chairman of trying to provoke testimony that could support calls to put him "behind bars." Fauci said he followed his attorney’s advice even though taking the Fifth "pained" him.
Former President Joe Biden pardoned Fauci in January 2025 for potential federal offenses dating back to 2014. Republicans argued the pardon would not cover new false testimony.
Paul said the committee would vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt. He also ejected Fauci’s attorney, David Schertler, after the lawyer tried to speak without being recognized. Schertler called Paul’s accusations "false and disgraceful."
Democrats defended Fauci. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) told him, "This hearing is designed to entrap you." More than 150 infectious-disease specialists and other scientists signed a letter saying "no credible evidence" supported accusations of wrongdoing and urging lawmakers to "stop these witch-hunts."
Diaries Renew Long-Running Fight Over Fauci
The journals documented Fauci’s meetings, media appearances and celebrity encounters during the pandemic. Carlson used those entries to portray him as publicity-obsessed. Paul focused on notes about the virus’s early emergence and said what Fauci "wrote privately and what he told the country are two different stories."
Fauci has denied lying to Congress or concealing COVID-19’s origins. During a 2024 testimony, he said a laboratory origin was "not inherently a conspiracy theory," while arguing that scientific evidence more strongly supported natural transmission from animals.
Carlson has targeted Fauci for years. In 2021, he falsely said Fauci "helped to create covid," and repeatedly challenged vaccine guidance and pandemic restrictions. A 2022 Science review found Carlson took information out of context and relied on debunked material in another attack on Fauci. His criticism paralleled earlier Republican calls to prosecute Fauci.
His position has shifted before. In March 2020, Carlson said he felt a "moral obligation" to warn President Donald Trump that the coronavirus posed a serious threat.
