Fauci declines transcribed interview with Sen. Ron Johnson’s subcommittee, citing continued Fifth Amendment assertions

Dr. Anthony Fauci will not appear for a transcribed interview requested by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Fauci’s attorneys said in a letter sent to Johnson on Friday, according to The Hill. The letter said Fauci intends to continue asserting his Fifth Amendment rights rather than participate in the interview in the format requested by the subcommittee.

The subcommittee is seeking testimony from Fauci regarding his role in the federal government’s COVID-19 response, The Hill reported. The reporting frames the dispute as part of a broader set of efforts by Johnson’s investigations office and committee leadership to obtain sworn, documented testimony as part of the subcommittee’s oversight work.

According to The Hill, Fauci’s legal team declined the interview request for the stated reason that Fauci would continue asserting his Fifth Amendment protections. The letter reportedly indicates Fauci’s position that, given those constitutional concerns, he will not sit for the transcribed interview.

Under Senate oversight practice, subpoenas or negotiated accommodations can be used to secure testimony, including transcribed interviews that create a written record. In this case, Fauci’s attorneys rejected the requested interview format while maintaining the same constitutional posture, according to the account published by The Hill.

The dispute comes as Congress continues to seek information about pandemic-era decision-making, including the relationship between federal public health guidance and the broader federal pandemic response apparatus. Johnson’s subcommittee, established within the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, has periodically pursued oversight inquiries into how agencies handled COVID-19 policy and communications.

Fauci’s refusal, as described by The Hill, shifts the question to what the subcommittee will pursue next if it seeks testimony from him. Potential next steps can include renewed requests, litigation over compelled testimony, or adjustments to the scope and format of any further proceedings, depending on the subcommittee’s legal strategy and whether any formal process is underway.

The Hill’s reporting did not provide the full text of the letter or identify additional procedural actions by the subcommittee in response. An official record of the letter, any subpoena or enforcement action, or committee correspondence would be required to confirm the precise procedural posture and any deadlines that may apply, according to what is available from the reported description.