Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is opening an investigation into Dr. Anthony Fauci after the former COVID adviser repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during a combative Senate hearing Wednesday.
“Fauci’s lack of candor to Congress is unbelievable,” Uthmeier posted on X. “My office is launching an investigation into Dr. Fauci. It’s past time we get the truth of what happened during COVID.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Uthmeier said his office will investigate “any and all potential violations of Florida law,” focusing on “what Fauci knew, when he knew it, and how he misled the American people.” The probe will also examine whether Floridians suffered physical or financial harm that could expose Fauci to liability under state law.
The investigation follows explosive revelations from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who released internal notes Fauci wrote during the pandemic. In one February 2020 entry, Fauci privately suggested COVID’s fatality rate could be closer to 0.2% to 0.3%, similar to a severe flu season. Just weeks later, he testified before Congress that the mortality rate was about 1%, calling the virus roughly 10 times deadlier than seasonal influenza.
When subpoenaed to explain the discrepancy, Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 111 times, refusing to answer virtually every question from Republican senators.
Paul said his committee will vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress, arguing the former NIH official had no need to plead the Fifth because he received a broad federal pardon from former President Joe Biden.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also blasted Fauci, accusing him of showing “contempt for Congress and contempt for the American people” and alleging his private writings contradict his public statements during the pandemic.
Uthmeier’s investigation could test whether Fauci faces legal exposure beyond the federal pardon, which does not shield against potential state-law violations.
