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Radio host Charlamagne tha God argued Thursday that Dr. Anthony Fauci, repeatedly invoking the Fifth Amendment during his Senate hearing this week after being pardoned was “suspicious” if he did nothing wrong.
“Now, listen, I’m stupid, OK? I just want y’all to know that. I will say I never understood why Dr. Fauci needed a pardon if there was no crime committed or nothing was done wrong,” Charlamagne said during “The Breakfast Club” show.
“And when you think of every conspiracy theorist that accused him of everything from creating or covering up the virus, the profiting from mandates and vaccines, it does look suspicious that he won’t answer questions,” he added. “And the language. How can somebody trap you if you’re not doing nothing wrong? Like, you can’t trap me if I’m not doing anything wrong. What am I gonna say?”
SEN RAND PAUL QUESTIONS WHETHER FAUCI’S INVOKING THE FIFTH AMENDMENT WAS VALID AFTER BIDEN PARDON
Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, received an unconditional pardon for all actions taken between Jan. 1, 2014, and Jan. 19, 2025 from President Biden during his final weeks in office. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Charlamagne’s co-hosts defended Fauci’s use of the Fifth Amendment, pointing out that it was on the advice of his legal counsel and that he didn’t have “malicious intent.”
“Y’all don’t think it’s fishy that he got a pardon? Why did he need a pardon?” Charlamagne fired back.
“I just feel like no one can trap you if you’re not doing anything wrong, you know what I’m saying?” he later added. “I’ll sit down and answer any question if I know that I’m clean.”
His co-hosts argued that former President Joe Biden pardoned Fauci, along with members of his family and the Jan. 6 committee, out of concern that they would be prosecuted by incoming President Donald Trump. Charlamagne conceded the point but remarked that it won’t stop critics.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD ACCUSES OBAMA OF HYPOCRISY AFTER SUGGESTING TRUMP IS DIFFERENT FACE-TO-FACE
Charlamagne tha God questioned Dr. Anthony Fauci’s decision to invoke the Fifth Amendment during a congressional hearing. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“I know these conspiracy theories happy this morning. I’m like, I know they sitting around like, ‘I told y’all we tried to tell y’all,'” Charlamagne said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Fauci for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Biden issued Fauci, who served as the chief architect for the government’s COVID-19 guidelines, a full and unconditional pardon for all actions taken between Jan. 1, 2014, and Jan. 19, 2025. Biden’s broad pardon protected Fauci from prosecution for the actions being investigated by the committee, leaving only the possibility of charges if he lied under oath.
Because of this sweeping pardon, legal experts have debated whether Fauci had the right to refuse to answer more than 100 questions during Wednesday’s Senate hearing.
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Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is pursuing contempt proceedings against Fauci after he refused to answer questions during a Senate hearing. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, announced after the hearing that he plans to pursue contempt proceedings against Fauci.
Fox News’ Elaine Mallon contributed to this report.