GOP senators are moving to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he pled the Fifth during last week's Senate hearing — despite already having a presidential pardon covering his actions from 2014 to 2025. Sen. Rand Paul says he's confident the votes are there and plans to send a criminal referral directly to the Department of Justice, potentially bypassing a full Senate vote. Vice President J.D. Vance would need to certify the resolution and refer it to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Sen. Josh Hawley says his team is already drafting a memo to Acting AG Todd Blanche urging criminal prosecution. The central legal question: Can Fauci invoke the Fifth Amendment when a pardon already shields him from self-incrimination?