Rand Paul's calls for Fauci to face imprisonment continue after contentious hearing

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has frequently suggested that Dr. Anthony Fauci should face prison time, and he was still open to the idea Tuesday when pressed about his past calls on that front.

Paul spoke on MS NOW about his response to the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases invoking the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a Senate hearing chaired by Paul last week.

The Republican senator admitted that he didn't know what to expect from Fauci's testimony, arguing that Fauci likely could have escaped legal culpability under former President Joe Biden's pardon. Geist remarked that Fauci, under the guidance of his lawyers, likely wanted to avoid speaking to Paul, who has advocated for him to be jailed. He followed up by asking if he still believes in that.

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Sen. Rand Paul reiterated on "Morning Joe" that Anthony Fauci should face consequences for his role in gain-of-function research. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

"That's a good question," Paul said. "Did he lie to Congress? I think he did lie to Congress. And I think, to be fair, that people who lie to Congress should be charged with a felony and, if convicted, go to jail. That’s also a felony crime. So I think both destroying records and lying to Congress are serious crimes."

Paul explained that it was more important to him to learn the truth about the gain-of-function research allegedly connected to Fauci prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Geist then asked if anyone else should face a criminal investigation. Paul stopped short of suggesting legal ramifications but added that they "should all apologize" and were culpable in other ways.

Turning back to Fauci, Geist asked Paul if he believed the doctor had some "nefarious" purpose behind his actions.

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Rand Paul has repeatedly suggested Dr. Anthony Fauci committed a felony. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

"I would say it's wrongheaded. I'm not sure I would use the word 'nefarious.' I would say that he is of the belief that the common man can't handle the truth, and that people like him who are the science, the elite, and the experts should make decisions," Paul said, pointing to Fauci's shifting comments regarding masks.

He added that Fauci was telling "lies, platonic lies, because he's one of the philosopher kings. So it really is about an attitude, but it is an arrogance, and it is an arrogance that shouldn't go unchallenged."

Fox News Digital reached out to Fauci and Paul's office for further comment.

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In 2021, Paul told "Hannity" that lying about gain-of-function research is a felony "punishable by five years in jail." The controversial method refers to manipulating or altering an organism or virus for purposes of research, which could give it enhanced abilities.

"We’ve referred it to the Department of Justice," Paul said. "I don’t think Biden’s Department of Justice will do anything with it, but yes, it is very dangerous to have public officials who we need to have trust in coming and lying to us, but he has lied dozens of times."

Anthony Fauci declined to testify in a Senate committee hearing on his role in the U.S.' response to COVID-19, invoking his 5th Amendment rights. (Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images; Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Paul directly told Fox News' Laura Ingraham in 2024 that Fauci's consequence should be jail.

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"I think he lied to Congress, which is a felony. You know, several folks from the Trump administration were accused of lying to Congress and carted off to jail with FBI agents all over the property, host, you know, yanking them out of their house early in the morning," he said. "But Anthony Fauci did lie to Congress. We know that from his own words, not because I say lies, but his private email say he was lying. Virtually everything he said in private contradicted what he was saying in public."