Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci reportedly expressed frustration following a contentious appearance before a Senate committee on Wednesday, capping off a day marked by repeated invocations of the Fifth Amendment and heated exchanges with Republican lawmakers.
According to the New York Post, Fauci was seen taking a walk with his wife, Christine Grady, after leaving Capitol Hill. During the outing, the newspaper reported that he “dropped an f-bomb” while complaining about someone who had shouted at him. The report was accompanied by photographs of the couple walking together.
The images showed Fauci holding his cellphone as the pair walked, though it was unclear whether he was speaking to anyone other than his wife.
The reported outburst came after Fauci spent hours testifying before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Throughout the hearing, Fauci repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when questioned by lawmakers. His decision drew attention because former President Joe Biden had previously granted him a preemptive pardon before leaving office.
Paul reacted with visible frustration as Fauci declined to answer many of the committee’s questions.
My simple question for Anthony Fauci this morning: who the fuck do you think you are?
Fauci’s message to the countless Americans he locked in their homes, who were fired from their jobs over vax mandates, the children he forced to wear masks? “I plead the 5th.” Criminal. pic.twitter.com/mm9JWQSf6Z
— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) July 29, 2026
The Kentucky senator warned that Fauci could face “repercussions” for his refusal to testify. At one point, the hearing became tense when Paul accused one of Fauci’s attorneys of disrupting the proceedings. Paul then instructed security personnel to remove the attorney from the hearing room before the committee continued.
Other Republican members of the committee also challenged Fauci aggressively.
Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Bernie Moreno of Ohio sharply criticized the former public health official during their questioning. Moreno’s remarks included profanity directed at Fauci, and afterward the Ohio senator posted video of the exchange on the social media platform X, reiterating his criticism in a similarly blunt message.
Paul has spent years arguing that Fauci should face legal consequences over the federal government’s handling of questions surrounding the origins of COVID-19.
Last month, according to the article, then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released declassified documents on her final day in office. Gabbard said the records showed Fauci influenced the intelligence community to promote what she described as “lies, disinformation, and censorship” intended to conceal U.S. funding for gain-of-function research involving bat coronaviruses at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Fauci has previously disputed allegations that he sought to conceal the origins of the pandemic or misrepresented the nature of federally funded research.
The scrutiny intensified again over the weekend when Paul’s committee released Fauci’s personal COVID-era diary.
According to the Washington Examiner, the journal had been preserved on Department of Health and Human Services servers, located by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and later provided to the committee.
The diary reportedly contains Fauci’s near-daily reflections as the pandemic unfolded. Committee Republicans contend that some of those private entries differed from Fauci’s public statements during the same period. They also noted that the journal included observations about his growing public profile and interactions with prominent public figures.
Kennedy has also stated that Fauci documented what he described as a possible adverse reaction after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Kennedy argued that Fauci did not publicly disclose that information while continuing to advocate for vaccination. Fauci has consistently maintained that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
Paul has announced that his committee is expected to vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt.
