Sen. Rand Paul said Wednesday he will refer a longtime aide to Dr. Anthony Fauci to the Justice Department for possible prosecution, saying she had a “20-year history of destroying records” for him.
He made the announcement after Democrats refused to back an immunity deal for the aide, which would have let her tell her story without fear of prosecution.
Mr. Paul didn’t identify the woman by name, but news outlets reported she is Patricia L. Conrad, who is senior adviser to the director at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases — the post Dr. Fauci held for years.
“I will personally be sending a letter to the Department of Justice asking them to pursue this,” Mr. Paul said.
He sought to lead the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in voting to offer an immunity deal. He said the committee subpoenaed the woman to come testify and she appeared but invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to answer questions.
Mr. Paul said the immunity deal would have freed her to speak.
To approve a deal would have required support of a two-thirds vote of the committee. All eight Republicans supported it, but all seven Democrats opposed the idea, dooming it to defeat.
Sen. Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, was the only Democrat to attend the proceeding. She cast proxy votes for her colleagues.
She said Mr. Paul was rushing the matter and she urged a slower approach, saying it was too soon to think about an immunity deal.
Mr. Paul countered that the woman has declined to talk while facing the threat of prosecution, so the logical step is to remove the threat.
“The only reason is you do not want her to answer, and you do not want her to give the truth,” the Kentucky Republican told Democrats.
Dr. Fauci also appeared before the committee subject to a subpoena.
He delivered a statement attacking Mr. Paul’s investigation, then invoked his Fifth Amendment rights and refused to answer more than a hundred questions.
Mr. Paul has accused Dr. Fauci of flubbing the pandemic response and misleading the public over the government’s efforts.
On Wednesday, Mr. Paul said the aide has a “20-year history of destroying records for Anthony Fauci.”
Another former Fauci aide, Dr. David Morens, pleaded guilty last month to illegally concealing pandemic records from public disclosure.
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