Silence is golden.

But actions speak louder than words.

That’s the solution which Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., is engineering for the reticence of Dr. Anthony Fauci. The head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 38 years, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment a staggering 111 times when appearing under subpoena before Paul’s panel this week.

RAND PAUL SEEKS CONTEMPT CHARGES AFTER FAUCI INVOKES FIFTH AMENDMENT MORE THAN 100 TIMES

The only words Fauci spoke were his invocation of the Fifth Amendment on the advice of his attorney. But the action promised by Paul is contempt of Congress.

«There will be repercussions to your refusal to testify today,» warned Paul after Fauci invoked the Fifth. «The Committee will have to consider after this hearing what appropriate action should be taken against you for the failure to testify after being directed to do so. It’s against the law to obstruct an investigation of Congress.»

But it’s not as though Fauci was completely mum during the entire hearing. He offered an opening statement before leaning on the Fifth Amendment as a shield for the next three hours.

«The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, quote, ‘behind bars,’ unquote,» Fauci said. «Any reasonable person who has followed his unhinged obsession with me would readily come to the same conclusion.»

And then Fauci fell mute. He ignored questions about his diary, inquiries about what ignited the pandemic, even interrogatives about the mundane.

Fauci said Rand Paul, who recently released more than 1,000 pages of his personal diary entries, has an «obvious obsession» with pushing for his prosecution. (CNN)

TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM FAUCI’S HEARING: PAUL BOOTS LAWYER, MORENO ERUPTS AS CONTEMPT VOTE LOOMS

«What day of the week is it today?» asked Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

Hawley wasn’t done.

«What color tie are you’re wearing?» Hawley continued. «What is the color of the carpeting?»

From a legal standpoint, there is logic behind Hawley’s banal inquiries. These are carefully designed questions which a good prosecutor might ask a witness to trip them up.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., speaks in front of a board with an image of Anthony Fauci, the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and medical advisor to several U.S. presidents, as Fauci (not pictured) attends a U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 29, 2026. Anthony Fauci declined to answer questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. (REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

To wit: If Fauci had already invoked the Fifth Amendment, why is he suddenly answering questions about the calendar, his tie or carpeting? If Fauci replied «Wednesday,» «blue» or «green» as answers to Hawley’s queries, Paul could have asserted that the Fifth Amendment shield no longer applied. Thus, the committee, or the courts, should compel Fauci to respond to any question.

By the same token, Republicans argued that Fauci should have been able to answer such trite questions from Hawley because they had nothing to do with the proceedings. It’s kind of a «we win, you lose» proposition for the GOP.

Yet Fauci never deviated from the script, invoking the Fifth Amendment 111 times.

CAN FAUCI HIDE BEHIND THE FIFTH? GAME-CHANGING BIDEN PARDON MAY NOT PROVIDE COMPLETE COVER, EXPERTS SAY

By the way, Fauci’s repetitive legal recitation of the Fifth is not a Senate record. In 1958, mob boss Vito Genovese appeared before a Senate panel investigating organized crime. Genovese established the mark, invoking the Fifth a stupefying 150 times.

Republicans don’t think that Fauci had any right to invoke the Fifth even once, considering his pardon from former President Joe Biden. On one hand, they asserted he should be free to testify. Democrats took issue with that.

«I’m not surprised that he pled the Fifth because the objective is to put him in jeopardy of criminal prosecution,» said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. «So the more prudent course was to claim the Fifth Amendment.»

Hawley saw it differently, citing the 1896 Supreme Court case Brown v. Walker.

In the late 19th Century, the Supreme Court granted auditor Theodore Brown immunity to testify in a railway rate-fixing case. But Brown still refused to testify. However, the High Court ruled that Brown had to speak. Writing for the majority, Justice Henry Billings Brown (no relation), who also wrote the opinion in Plessy v. Ferguson, declared the following:

«If it be once conceded that the fact that his testimony may tend to bring the witness into disrepute, though not to incriminate him, does not entitle him to the privilege of silence, it necessarily follows that, if it also tends to incriminate, but at the same time operates as a pardon for the offense, the fact that the disgrace remains no more entitles him to immunity in this case than in the other.»

Translation: What you have to say may be embarrassing. But if you enjoy the privilege of immunity, you still have to cough up the goods, despite the Fifth Amendment.

Lois Lerner, who headed the IRS division that oversaw tax-exempt groups, apologized for the targeting scandal and eventually resigned. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

How Fauci conducted himself in the hearing runs parallel to former IRS official Lois Lerner’s conduct in 2014. Republicans believed that Lerner blocked groups affiliated with the Tea Party from tax-exempt status or targeted them for scrutiny. At a 2014 House Oversight Committee hearing, Lerner delivered an opening statement. She then invoked the Fifth.

The full House later voted to hold Lerner in contempt of Congress for not answering questions and referred her to the Justice Department for prosecution. The DOJ, then operating under the administration of former President Barack Obama, did not take action against Lerner.

Whether or not DOJ prosecutes contempt of Congress often comes down to which party on Capitol Hill is doing the referring, and which party controls the Justice Department.

For instance, the Republican House referred former Attorney General Eric Holder to the DOJ for contempt of Congress in 2012. But it was Holder who ran the Justice Department. So that was a dead letter.

The Democratic House referred White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the DOJ in 2008. But the administration of former President George W. Bush was simply not going to prosecute its own lead attorney at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, left, and former Trump adviser Peter Navarro. (Getty Images)

The Democratic House held Trump administration figures Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro in contempt of Congress for failing to appear before the committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot. Naturally, the Biden Justice Department prosecuted that duo.

So could Fauci face prosecution from the Trump Justice Department after a referral from the Republican-led Senate?

The Lerner case bears further study. The Obama DOJ declined to prosecute Lerner because she asserted her Fifth Amendment rights — but after her opening statement. Fauci did the same. Would the Trump administration perceive Fauci’s protocol at the hearing through a similar lens?

Paul will ask his committee to prep a resolution holding Fauci in contempt of Congress in the coming days. But the full Senate must approve such a measure before sending it to the DOJ for possible prosecution.

It’s easier to adopt a contempt of Congress resolution in the House because it only requires a simple majority. The same is true in the Senate. But it must also clear a filibuster, which needs 60 votes. That’s why contempt of Congress citations are more prevalent in the House than the Senate.

But Paul believes he has a workaround.

«I plan on sending it directly with the legal brief supporting the argument to the Department of Justice,» Paul told Fox News.

It’s then up to DOJ to prosecute Fauci or not.

Former NIH Director Anthony Fauci listens during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on July 29, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Fauci declined to answer questions, asserting his Fifth Amendment right. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

However, in his same appearance on Fox, Paul said he had «sent a criminal referral on Anthony Fauci twice under Biden and twice under Trump.»

President Donald Trump’s DOJ hasn’t prosecuted Fauci before. But would prosecutors see it differently after Fauci’s performance at the hearing?

That brings us back to Lerner.

She invoked the Fifth Amendment and the DOJ did not prosecute. That establishes a precedent. Would the Trump DOJ follow that model? Or are we in for what could be a lengthy, perhaps seminal court battle about whether Fauci was in the right to invoke the Fifth Amendment? That may trigger a legal fight over his pardon from Biden — and perhaps what the High Court ruled in Brown v. Walker.

We’ll know when or if the DOJ takes action. In the case of Fauci, silence may be golden. But in this instance, it may be up to the courts to determine if it’s legal.

El Gobierno de Estados Unidos implementará fianzas de hasta 20,000 dólares para nicaragüenses que soliciten visas de turismo y negocios, una medida que busca disminuir la permanencia irregular de ciudadanos extranjeros en el país. Según informó Despacho 505, la nueva disposición, publicada por el Departamento de Estado, forma parte de un programa piloto que también afecta a solicitantes de otros 50 países, incluidos Cuba, Granada y Venezuela en el continente americano.

De acuerdo con el reporte de Despacho 505, la norma establece que los solicitantes de visas B-1/B-2 deberán depositar una fianza de 10,000, 15,000 o 20,000 dólares, determinada según la discreción de los funcionarios consulares. El dinero será administrado por el Departamento del Tesoro y el Departamento de Estado y podrá ser recuperado una vez que el viajero cumpla con las condiciones de su visado y regrese a su país de origen. Según el Gobierno estadounidense, la iniciativa responde a los altos índices de permanencia irregular de ciudadanos de los países incluidos en la lista.

Despacho 505 detalló que, durante el primer año de implementación del programa piloto, se identificaron 20,000 solicitudes sujetas al pago de la fianza y aproximadamente la mitad de los solicitantes desistieron del proceso. Además, el medio subraya que la medida provocó una reducción del 83% en la emisión de visas de turismo y negocios para los países alcanzados por la disposición.

La situación de Nicaragua en el contexto internacional ha captado la atención de distintos gobiernos a raíz de las crecientes restricciones políticas y sociales. La medida adoptada por Estados Unidos coincide con un escenario interno marcado por la represión estatal, el cierre de espacios democráticos y el incremento del control gubernamental sobre la sociedad civil. En los últimos años, el gobierno de Daniel Ortega ha aumentado de manera significativa el presupuesto de las fuerzas de seguridad, consolidando un aparato represivo que limita la libertad de expresión y de asociación.

Organizaciones defensoras de los derechos humanos han denunciado la cancelación masiva y arbitraria de títulos profesionales en el gremio de abogados, lo que ha debilitado el acceso a la defensa legal y ha generado preocupación entre los organismos internacionales. Además, se ha reportado la falta de debido proceso en numerosos casos judiciales y el bloqueo digital de los registros, lo que obstaculiza la transparencia y el acceso a la información pública.

Otro factor relevante es el reciente anuncio sobre la cancelación de las elecciones en Nicaragua, una decisión que ha sido interpretada por diversos sectores como una manifestación del cierre total de los espacios de participación política. La cancelación electoral representa una profundización de la crisis institucional y refuerza la imagen de un sistema político sin garantías democráticas.

En este contexto, la implementación de fianzas elevadas para el otorgamiento de visas a ciudadanos nicaragüenses aparece vinculada a las preocupaciones de Estados Unidos respecto a los flujos migratorios y las condiciones internas de los países de origen. Según el Departamento de Estado, la decisión se sustenta en indicadores que reflejan altas tasas de permanencia irregular y busca incentivar el cumplimiento de los plazos de estadía autorizados.

La medida ha generado críticas entre organizaciones de derechos de los migrantes, quienes advierten que las fianzas representan una barrera económica significativa para los solicitantes de países con bajos ingresos y afectan especialmente a ciudadanos de naciones con contextos de crisis. Voceros de estas organizaciones, citados por Despacho 505, consideran que la medida limita el acceso a vías legales de ingreso y genera un impacto desproporcionado sobre poblaciones vulnerables.

El programa piloto contempla la devolución de las fianzas a quienes respeten las condiciones de su visa, pero la exigencia de un depósito tan elevado restringe el alcance de la política. De acuerdo con datos oficiales recogidos por Despacho 505, la reducción en el número de visas otorgadas evidencia el efecto disuasorio de la medida, mientras que la exclusión de países como Nicaragua se produce en un contexto de creciente presión internacional sobre su gobierno.

La decisión de Estados Unidos se produce en un momento en que el éxodo de nicaragüenses ha aumentado por la falta de garantías, el deterioro de la economía y la represión política. En este escenario, las nuevas restricciones consulares suponen un desafío adicional para quienes buscan alternativas legales de movilidad internacional.

JERUSALEM, Israel: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is spreading hateful and antisemitic rhetoric and endangering the lives of New Yorkers, Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview at his Jerusalem residence.

«Mamdani does not respect my nation’s right for self-determination… the Jewish people’s inherent right to have a nation of their own. And he’s basically spreading blasphemy, hate, antisemitic rhetoric. He should understand that he’s risking his own citizens, he’s risking their safety, well-being and life,» Herzog said.

In an incident that drew global attention, Mamdani posted a video on social media on July 21 in which he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu «a war criminal» and «the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.»

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«This cannot be accepted in New York, which is a city which is dear to our heart, dear to the Israelis, and dear to me personally,» Herzog said.

«I think New York will continue way after Mamdani. And I hope he won’t create an irreversible damage,» he added.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

On Iran, Herzog said the regime has for decades posed a strategic threat to global stability, and not only to Israel and the Middle East.

«They take their people’s food and money and spend it on terror all over the world. It’s a given fact,» he said. «You ask yourself why a nation of this nature wants to have so much terror activity around the world, and that is because of ideology… The ideology does not accommodate any other religion or moderate Islam, for that matter. That is why it is so dangerous,» he added.

The United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign against the Islamic Republic on Feb. 28, dubbed Operation Epic Fury by the Trump administration and codenamed Operation Roaring Lion by Israel, before Trump announced a ceasefire on April 7.

Herzog said Tehran’s missile program, activities around the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear ambitions, domestic repression and support for regional terror proxies as evidence of the regime’s major threat to U.S. national security interests. He added that many Americans had been killed by the Islamic Republic.

A billboard depicting Iran’s supreme leaders since 1979: (L to R) Ayatollahs Ruhollah Khomeini (until 1989), Ali Khamenei (until 2026), and Mojtaba Khamenei (incumbent) is displayed above a highway in Tehran on March 10, 2026. Iran marked the appointment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father as its supreme leader on March 9, 2026.  (AFP/Via Getty Images)

As some leading political voices in the U.S. have questioned the relationship with the Jewish state, the president stressed the important ties that have made the relationship so important.

«We both drink from this set of values which was commanded to all of us by these historic spiritual books given to us by the Almighty,» he said.

The Israeli president highlighted what he described as Trump’s deep support for the Jewish state, demonstrated through both words and actions.

He pointed to Trump’s 2018 decision, during his first term, to relocate the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, as well as his subsequent recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

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Herzog praised Trump’s «endless» backing of Israeli positions «in so many issues» and his «immense support and friendship with Israel,» adding that the two countries still more often than not see «eye to eye.»

Herzog credited Trump with helping secure the return of 255 hostages held by Hamas following the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. While acknowledging the efforts of many officials involved, he said Trump «put his foot down» and «pushed and negotiated brilliantly» to bring them home, adding that he had «huge respect» for the American leader.

That admiration among Israelis has not been diminished by any perceived political disagreements, Herzog said, adding that he believes the U.S.-Israel relationship transcends shifting attitudes and growing criticism of the Jewish state.

U.S. President Donald Trump enters the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) before he speaks on Oct. 13, 2025 in Jerusalem.  (Evan Vucci – Pool/Getty Images)

«I believe that there is something biblical and prophetic in the way our nations work together. And I truly believe that Israel should be a bipartisan issue of friendship and support,» he added.

Herzog linked the reported decline in American support for Israel, particularly among younger people, to campaigns of well-funded disinformation on social media.

«It’s very easy to smear Israel on TikTok, but that doesn’t say the real truth. And I invite every young American to set foot in this country,» he told Fox News Digital.

Herzog described Israel as a place where innovators flourish and great ideas are shared with the world, contributing enormously across fields including health, energy, science, agriculture and food security.

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Beachgoers on a beach in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023.  (Getty Images)

«There’s a reason why Americans who visit our country, young Americans, fall in love with this country. And my aim in this interview is to … take off the terrible mask which was placed on our face by terrible forces, some of them, of course, forces which work on it all the time to tell a distorted story.»

«We’re a nation seeking peace, we’re a nation seeking innovation, we are a nation bringing ideas which will save humanity, and we are [a] nation trying to do good,» he continued. «And I hope and pray that we will have peace with our neighbors in the entire region, with our Palestinian neighbors as well. But that requires that Israel will be accepted and people will understand that we have security needs.»

Herzog addressed the House’s recent passage of a $1.15 trillion annual defense policy bill, which largely split along party lines, with the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act receiving only six Democratic votes.

He described the development as a «red light,» but said it does not signal the end of relations between the American and Israeli public or of bipartisan dialogue and support.

THE BEDROCK OF AMERICAN LIBERTY WAS LAID IN JERUSALEM

Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks to a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

«Exactly three years ago, I spoke in the American Congress in front of a joint session of the House, marking 75 years of Israel’s independence, and I had almost 30 standing ovations,» he said.

«I’m aware … of the criticism, and aware of a huge campaign on campuses, and of huge money which was funneled to attack Israel, and also aware of our mistakes,» he added.

Herzog said Israeli society is undergoing an evolution following Oct. 7, making it legitimate to ask difficult questions about the country’s future security after such a «horrendous, aggressive, cruel» attack.

At the same time, he said Americans are right to examine the bilateral relationship and Israel’s role in advancing U.S. national security interests.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Netanyahu traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Trump and attend the memorial service for the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks to members of the media as the Trump Cabinet briefs members of Congress on Iran at the U.S. Capitol on March 3, 2026. in Washington, D.C., Trump administration Cabinet officials will be briefing all lawmakers in the House and Senate on U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

«Lindsey was ever active, always coming with new ideas, brilliant, understood world affairs like no one else, and understood Israel’s role in protecting Western values and values of the free world,» Herzog told Fox News Digital.

He said Graham also knew how to voice criticism, which is legitimate between friends, and enjoyed support across the Israeli political spectrum.

«[Graham] knew how to fight empires and nations of evil, and to stand up to them without fear. I will always remember him, Israel will always remember him. The Jewish people will always cherish his memory,» Herzog added.

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Herzog also raised the importance of how Israel values Christian communities in the Holy Land and is committed to strengthening interfaith dialogue. He added that these communities are a top priority.

According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, as of December 2025, Israel’s Christian population stood at approximately 184,200, representing 1.9% of the country’s total population. The community grew by 0.7% over the previous year.

«I myself met the Pope and spoke to him several times and went to the Holy See. I speak to all the heads of churches. I recently had the Greek Orthodox Patriarch and this morning the Cardinal of Jerusalem,» Herzog said.

A delegation of 1,000 evangelical Christian pastors and influencers ever brought to Israel meets with former Hamas captives at the site of the Supernova music festival on Wednesday as part of the Friends of Zion Ambassador Program. (Shlomi Amsalem)

He continued, «I believe in real dialogue with our brothers and sisters from the Evangelical world in the United States and elsewhere. So, the Christian communities are a top priority in Israel and we are doing our best that they will flourish and grow.»

Herzog spoke of a zero tolerance of anti-Christian behavior. «I know of cases where there was tension and we’re dealing with it aggressively and there’s a major reduction in moments of friction. Now we have to work hard throughout the region. Christian communities will be strong and will flourish because there is a movement to shun out Christian communities, especially in some of the Muslim world, in Palestinian communities and elsewhere. And we are dealing with it as well. And I’m here for any Christian community that needs support of any kind. People know it. And I speak to their leaders all the time.»

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Herzog weighed in on the controversy surrounding the dismissal of the International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, who issued the arrest warrants against Netanyahu, after member states voted to remove him over sexual misconduct allegations.

Herzog said Khan «absolutely» pushed forward with the arrest warrants to try to distract attention from the sexual assault allegations against him. He added that Khan had wanted to come to Israel to meet with various experts and leaders, including the Israeli president himself.

«Everybody got ready to talk to him and present the real story and the real truth,» Herzog told Fox News Digital. «His staff were on their way to the airport and all of a sudden he issued these orders and writs against Prime Minister Netanyahu, [then] Defense Minister [Yoav] Gallant and others. And only in hindsight now we know clearly that it was in order to divert attention from the sexual allegations.

Karim Khan is the ICC’s chief prosecutor. (Getty Images)

«The case has to be dropped and the ICC should … not fall into the trap of hate and lies that Karim Khan presented simply to cover for himself,» said Herzog.

Lawyers for Karim Khan have said they «will challenge the lawfulness and fairness of the decision through all available legal mechanisms.»

Just hours before President Trump’s announcement that Hamas had agreed to a roadmap that includes disarmament on Thursday, Herzog praised the «enormous efforts» by the U.S. administration to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire.

«This is something that can be a major breakthrough if it happens. Let’s remember, the 20-point plan of President Trump was approved by the [United Nations] Security Council, and the next phase is disarming of Hamas,» Herzog told Fox News Digital.

President Donald Trump speaks during a summit to support ending the more than two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza after a breakthrough ceasefire deal, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP)

«The people of Gaza deserve a better life. And there is a real viable plan, including budget and efforts, how to change the course of the future,» he added.

But one thing has to be made clear, he concluded: «Hamas cannot control Gaza and cannot turn it into a launching pad for terror and hate anymore.»