Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier stated Wednesday his office will investigate Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to the president during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's past time we get the truth of what happened during COVID," Uthmeier wrote in a social media post on X.
ALSO READ: Anthony Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment in Rand Paul Senate hearing
Republicans are criticizing Fauci for invoking the Fifth Amendment during a Senate committee hearing Wednesday led by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
Paul subpoenaed Fauci, 85, to answer questions about the COVID-19 pandemic and has accused him of "dishonesty" during that period.
Uthmeier said Fauci's "lack of candor to Congress in unbelievable."
Fauci's lack of candor to Congress is unbelievable.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) July 29, 2026
My office is launching an investigation into Dr. Fauci. It's past time we get the truth of what happened during COVID.
Fauci's decision, at least for now, shielded him from answering questions that could expose him to accusations of lying under oath.
Though he received a pardon in early 2025 from Democratic President Joe Biden, some Republicans pursuing a yearslong campaign for his arrest had suggested he could still face charges for any perjury committed during Wednesday’s hearing.
Fauci will face a contempt of Congress vote in a Senate committee next week after he invoked the Fifth Amendment. In Wednesday's hearing, he declined to answer dozens of questions from senators.
The scientist's decision to not testify injected drama into the lingering tensions between Fauci and GOP lawmakers over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and accusations he lied about its origins, which he has denied.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
