1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

Dear Members of Congress, Senator Rand Paul has made Dr. Anthony Fauci’s invocation of the Fifth Amendment a centerpiece of his ongoing crusade, treating it as evidence of guilt and demanding accountability. We would like to remind Senator Paul — and invite his colleagues to remind him as well — that in August 2022, President Donald Trump invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 440 times in a single four-hour deposition. He answered exactly one question: his name. Trump did so while invoking his own prior words against himself. Before the deposition, he had publicly stated: “If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?” Senator Paul’s silence on that occasion was notably complete. We understand that selective outrage is a time-honored Washington tradition. But we would respectfully suggest that Congress has more pressing matters demanding its attention. A president has threatened to bomb civilian infrastructure, declared that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” used the Department of Justice to raid political opponents, and signed executive orders that courts have repeatedly found unconstitutional. Fifty people have died in ICE custody. A sitting senator was tear-gassed by federal agents. Dr. Fauci’s deposition strategy is not among the top ten crises facing this republic. We urge Senator Paul’s colleagues to gently redirect his considerable energy toward the actual emergencies at hand — and to note, for the record, that the Fifth Amendment applies equally to all Americans, including ones Senator Paul has voted for. Respectfully,