Anthony Fauci’s official phone has passed into the hands of a US Senate subcommittee investigating his role during the pandemic, in a move that adds political and institutional pressure to an issue that for years has remained filled with question marks.
iPhone handed over one day before the vote
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Homeland Security and Investigations has obtained a copy of the official iPhone of former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci.
According to a spokesperson for Republican Senator Ron Johnson, the device was handed over by the US Department of Health and Human Services just one day before a vote on a resolution seeking to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress.
Political clash deepens in the Senate
According to Republicans, the contents of the phone could help answer questions that, they say, Fauci refused to answer during last week’s hearing.
The committee is expected to vote on the resolution after Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment rights more than 100 times, declining to answer questions that could incriminate him. Republicans present this as a sign of non-cooperation, while Democrats consider the investigation a political offensive against him.
Ron Johnson and Rand Paul focus on Fauci’s role during the pandemic
The investigation is being led by Republican Senators Ron Johnson and Rand Paul, who have long questioned Fauci’s role during Covid-19 and the way information about the origins of the coronavirus was handled.
Rand Paul has said that if the resolution is approved, the matter will be referred to the US Department of Justice for further review.
Pages from personal diary also released
Alongside the investigation, the committee has published more than 1,100 pages from Fauci’s personal diary covering the 2019–2022 period.
The documents describe his activity during the pandemic, contacts with officials from the Trump and Biden administrations, public appearances, and concerns he had about the management of the health crisis.
Legal protection complicating the case
Despite the political and institutional pressure, Fauci enjoys significant legal protection at the federal level.
He is covered by a preemptive pardon granted by former President Joe Biden at the end of his term, which protects him from federal criminal prosecution for actions or statements linked to the pandemic period.
The seizure of the phone and the release of other documents shift the debate from political rhetoric to the evidence that investigators claim they are seeking.
However, the clash between Republicans and Democrats shows that the issue of transparency during Covid-19 in the United States remains far from institutional consensus.