Fauci on 'solid legal ground' in face of prosecution threat, lawyer says

A lawyer for Anthony Fauci insists his client is on "solid legal ground" after Fauci was threatened with prosecution for refusing to answer questions during a combative congressional hearing. Fauci, the ex-White House chief medical adviser, appeared on Wednesday before a US Senate committee investigating his handling of the Covid pandemic. He invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination during testimony more than 100 times, angering Republicans. Committee chairman Senator Rand Paul suggested Fauci could face contempt-of-Congress proceedings as a result. But Fauci's lawyer said his client was on safe footing, adding: "Rand Paul may be a doctor, but he is not a lawyer." Paul has long accused Fauci of trying to cover up the origin of Covid, and of funding research at a lab in Wuhan in China, where some theories say the pandemic began. Other theories point to natural exposure to an infected animal as the origin of the pandemic. Discussing Fauci's refusal to answer questions on Wednesday, Paul told CBS News: "I think there is a very real chance that he could be prosecuted for that." It remains unclear whether Fauci could face any charges. He was given a pre-emptive pardon