Anthony Fauci's pardon from Biden and the Senate inquiry into COVID's origins

Active · last development Sep 23, 2026: “Democrats Block Rand Paul’s Effort to Grant an Ex-Fauci Assistant Immunity”

What this arc covers

Anthony Fauci after the Biden administration: Joe Biden's preemptive pardon of him in January 2025 and Trump's removal of his security detail, the release of his diary and text messages, his July 2026 Senate hearing on the pandemic's origins, where he invoked the Fifth Amendment, the Senate Republicans' contempt vote, the investigations opened by Florida and other states, and the guilty plea of a former adviser charged with hiding COVID records.

Rand Paul

Earliest story we hold Dec 3, 2024 · 37 stories · 255 independent sources (counted once each) · 659 days

Part ofAnthony FauciJoe BidenDonald TrumpRand PaulFloridaUnited States Department of JusticeHunter BidenUnited States Senate

Part of Biden's pardons

  1. Hunter Biden's gun and tax cases and his father's pardonJan 11, 2024 – Aug 8, 2026
  2. Biden's end-of-term clemency, from commuted death sentences to the autopen fightJun 26, 2024 – Oct 28, 2025
  3. Anthony Fauci's pardon from Biden and the Senate inquiry into COVID's originsThis arcDec 3, 2024 – Sep 23, 2026

Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning

Sep 232026Democrats Block Rand Paul’s Effort to Grant an Ex-Fauci Assistant Immunity8 articles · 7 independent sources
1 left, 1 center, 4 right
Aug 18– 212026Former Fauci adviser pleads guilty to conspiracy to conceal Covid-19 records38 articles · 34 independent sources
7 left, 4 center, 19 right
Aug 16– 172026Fauci was apparently warned to save '$$' to tackle vaccine fallout: 'Will come back to bite you'7 articles · 7 independent sources
0 left, 0 center, 3 right

Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below

  1. Dec 3 – 7, 2024Biden Is Considering Preemptive Pardons for Officials and Allies Before Trump Takes Office53 articles · 36 independent sources
    1. Dec 3, 2024Biden needs to issue one more pardon before his term ends — for Donald Trump
    2. Dec 7, 2024Only center coverage:Democrats divided over Biden talk of preemptive pardons
  2. Jan 20, 2025Biden pardons Fauci, Milley and Jan. 6 committee staffers in final hours of presidency161 articles · 83 independent sources
  3. Jan 24 – 25, 2025Trump ends federal security detail for Dr. Fauci43 articles · 33 independent sources
  4. Jul 26 – 31, 2026Anthony Fauci again faces questions from Senate Republicans about pandemic origins172 articles · 65 independent sources
    1. Jul 26, 2026Fauci fixated on fame as COVID deaths mounted, diary reveals
    2. Jul 27, 2026Sen. Ron Johnson on released Fauci diary entries
    3. Jul 28, 2026Only right-leaning coverage:Fauci Diary Suggests He Misled Congress on COVID Fatalities.
    4. Jul 28, 2026Fauci diaries, released by Sen. Paul, touch on COVID origins, Trump
  5. Jul 29 – Aug 2, 2026Dr. Fauci invokes the Fifth Amendment at Senate hearing on COVID pandemic330 articles · 125 independent sources
    1. Jul 29, 2026Fauci repeatedly invokes Fifth Amendment in contentious Senate committee hearing
    2. Aug 2, 2026Only right-leaning coverage:Fauci’s Fifth Amendment wall cannot shield him from accountability
  6. Aug 3 – 9, 2026Fauci contempt vote presents DOJ with 'incredibly messy' choices331 articles · 114 independent sources
    1. Aug 3, 2026GOP Senate faces high hurdles to hold Fauci in contempt
    2. Aug 4, 2026Rand Paul sets committee vote to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress
    3. Aug 6, 2026Senate committee votes to hold Fauci in contempt for refusing to answer COVID questions
    4. Aug 7, 2026Susan Collins has no comment on Republicans holding Fauci in contempt; Angus King criticizes move
  7. Aug 18 – 21, 2026Former Fauci adviser pleads guilty to conspiracy to conceal Covid-19 records38 articles · 34 independent sources
    1. Aug 18, 2026Former Fauci adviser Dr. David Morens pleads guilty to concealing COVID-related records
    2. Aug 20, 2026Only lean-left coverage:News in brief for August 20

Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side

Dec 2024Apr 2025Aug 2025Dec 2025May 2026Sep 2026

LeftCenterRight

Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.

Every week as a table
Week ofLeftCenterRightArticles
Dec 2, 2024410955
Dec 9, 202441920
Dec 16, 202413010
Jan 6, 202533519
Jan 13, 20250112
Jan 20, 2025153624239
Apr 27, 20260145
Jul 20, 20260168
Jul 27, 2026324071624
Aug 3, 2026192642363
Aug 10, 20262113692
Aug 17, 2026742039
Sep 21, 20261148

Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.

22% left · 34% center · 44% right of 255 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 37 stories.

Every storyoldest first

  1. December 2024

    Dec 3– 7Biden Is Considering Preemptive Pardons for Officials and Allies Before Trump Takes Office53 articles · 36 independent sources
    4 left, 10 center, 9 right
  2. Dec 4Jeffries presses Biden to issue more pardons before leaving office5 articles · 5 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 3 right
  3. Dec 9– 16Sen. Bernie Sanders says Biden should ‘very seriously' consider pre-emptive pardons30 articles · 18 independent sources
    4 left, 3 center, 9 right

  4. January 2025

  6. Jan 20Biden pardons Fauci, Milley and Jan. 6 committee staffers in final hours of presidency161 articles · 83 independent sources
    11 left, 25 center, 20 right
  7. Jan 22Pardons by Trump and Biden reveal distrust of each other and wobbly faith in criminal justice system5 articles · 5 independent sources
    1 left, 0 center, 2 right
  8. Jan 24– 25Trump ends federal security detail for Dr. Fauci43 articles · 33 independent sources
    5 left, 13 center, 10 right

  9. April 2026

    Apr 28Former Fauci advisor indicted for hiding communications related to COVID research6 articles · 6 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 4 right

  10. July 2026

    Jul 23Fauci to face Rand Paul in Senate hearing next week3 articles · 3 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 2 right
  11. Jul 26– 31Anthony Fauci again faces questions from Senate Republicans about pandemic origins172 articles · 65 independent sources
    10 left, 10 center, 36 right
  12. Jul 26– 30Fauci’s Own Diary Proves What a Despicable Villain He Truly Is15 articles · 14 independent sources
    1 left, 1 center, 12 right
  13. Jul 26– 29CNN Publishes Tapper-Free Story About Fauci's Diary8 articles · 6 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 5 right
  14. Jul 27– Aug 3Bidens Fauci Pardon Has One Flaw and Three States Just Found It23 articles · 17 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 15 right
  15. Jul 28– 30RFK Jr. Reveals the Covid Vaccine Secret That Fauci Hid from Americans6 articles · 5 independent sources
    1 left, 0 center, 4 right
  16. Jul 29– Aug 2Dr. Fauci invokes the Fifth Amendment at Senate hearing on COVID pandemic330 articles · 125 independent sources
    26 left, 31 center, 48 right
  17. Jul 29– 31Florida AG launching investigation into Fauci after Senate hearing31 articles · 21 independent sources
    1 left, 3 center, 10 right
  18. Jul 294 takeaways from Dr. Anthony Fauci's journals ahead of his Senate testimony9 articles · 2 independent sources
    1 left, 1 center, 0 right
  19. Jul 29– 31Senator from Ohio drops f-bomb at Fauci during heated hearing15 articles · 14 independent sources
    2 left, 2 center, 10 right
  20. Jul 30Ted Cruz demands Fauci face jail time, labels him as America's 'most damaging bureaucrat'4 articles · 4 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 4 right
  21. Jul 304 things Fauci's diary reveals about COVID, Trump and fame6 articles · 1 independent sources
    1 left, 1 center, 1 right
  22. Jul 30– 31‘There was no other option’: Inside Fauci’s intensely planned hearing strategy10 articles · 8 independent sources
    0 left, 2 center, 0 right

  23. August 2026

    Aug 1– 3Louisiana joins Alabama and Florida in investigating Dr. Fauci6 articles · 3 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 2 right
  24. Aug 3– 7Fauci faces new legal trouble as Florida attorney general issues subpoena19 articles · 16 independent sources
    1 left, 3 center, 11 right
  25. Aug 3– 9Fauci contempt vote presents DOJ with 'incredibly messy' choices331 articles · 114 independent sources
    18 left, 24 center, 34 right
  26. Aug 4– 7Fauci’s Lawyer Just Attacked Aaron Rodgers for Calling Him an Absolute Coward6 articles · 6 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 6 right
  27. Aug 6– 7We read Fauci’s diary. Are his texts next?7 articles · 6 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 5 right
  28. Aug 10– 12Fauci texts reveal concern over pregnancy, COVID vaccine35 articles · 29 independent sources
    0 left, 3 center, 22 right
  29. Aug 10– 12Editorial: Prosecuting Fauci is an affront to justice7 articles · 2 independent sources
    1 left, 1 center, 2 right
  30. Aug 10– 11Republican senators release Fauci’s text messages discussing safety of Covid vaccine and pregnancy11 articles · 9 independent sources
    0 left, 3 center, 1 right
  31. Aug 11– 12Newly Released Text Messages Show Fauci Knew COVID Vaccines Would Cause Miscarriages, But Pushed the Shots Anyway10 articles · 9 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 9 right
  32. Aug 14False claims about miscarriage risk from Covid-19 vaccines are spreading online. They use a faulty interpretation of data8 articles · 8 independent sources
    1 left, 1 center, 0 right
  33. Aug 15– 16Dr. Anthony Fauci declines request to appear before a second Senate panel after GOP contempt vote10 articles · 9 independent sources
    0 left, 3 center, 2 right
  34. Aug 15– 16Fauci refuses Senate appearance after invoking Fifth Amendment more than 100 times in COVID probe3 articles · 3 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 1 right
  35. Aug 16– 17Fauci was apparently warned to save '$$' to tackle vaccine fallout: 'Will come back to bite you'7 articles · 7 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 3 right
  36. Aug 18– 21Former Fauci adviser pleads guilty to conspiracy to conceal Covid-19 records38 articles · 34 independent sources
    7 left, 4 center, 19 right

  37. September 2026

    Sep 23Democrats Block Rand Paul’s Effort to Grant an Ex-Fauci Assistant Immunity8 articles · 7 independent sources
    1 left, 1 center, 4 right