Senate panel obtains Fauci’s COVID-era iPhone records as contempt vote approaches – report

The US Senate panel investigating Dr. Anthony Fauci has obtained copied material from an iPhone he used during the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. This development comes as the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is scheduled to vote on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress. Senator Rand Paul, who chairs the committee, released the contempt resolution after Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, declining to answer over 100 questions during a July 29 appearance. Paul argues that a broad pardon granted by former President Joe Biden should negate Fauci's ability to invoke the Fifth Amendment, a point Fauci's attorneys dispute, citing potential state prosecutions or allegations related to post-pardon testimony. The ongoing dispute also involves long-running clashes between Paul and Fauci regarding federally supported coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origins of COVID-19.