Why did Anthony Fauci invoke the Fifth Amendment during the Senate hearing?

Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a Senate hearing on the government's COVID-19 response to avoid answering questions about his leadership. Republican lawmakers accused him of endangering the public with his pandemic guidance, as reported by Mediaite.

What did Aaron Rodgers say about Anthony Fauci?

Aaron Rodgers called Anthony Fauci a 'coward' and an 'absolute criminal' on *The Pat McAfee Show* on 3 August 2026. He criticised Fauci for invoking the Fifth Amendment during a Senate hearing, saying, 'I’m going to plead the fifth, like that absolute coward, Tony Fauci.'

Which outlets focused on Rodgers' criticism of Fauci?

Right-rated outlets, including Fox News, The Daily Caller, and Conservative Review, led on Rodgers' criticism of Fauci. They described his remarks as 'scorched-earth' or 'obliterating' but did not mention the number of times Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment.

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Politics5 outlets ran this4 min read

Aaron Rodgers calls Anthony Fauci a 'coward' after Senate hearing on COVID response

The NFL quarterback criticised Fauci for invoking the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a Senate hearing.

MediaBias Comparison Desk

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised

This article was written at the MediaBias News desk from the one-paragraph digests an aggregator publishes for each of the outlets listed below it, together with 2 of those outlets' own reports read in full. How we do it

4 Aug 2026, 13:25Updated 4 Aug 2026, 13:25

What this story says

Aaron Rodgers called Dr. Anthony Fauci a 'coward' and an 'absolute criminal' during an appearance on *The Pat McAfee Show* on 3 August 2026.
Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a Senate hearing the previous week, refusing to answer questions about the government's COVID-19 response.
The hearing examined Fauci's role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during the pandemic.
Right-rated outlets led on Rodgers' criticism of Fauci, while the left-rated digest highlighted the legal context of Fauci's refusal to testify.

Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, criticised Dr. Anthony Fauci on 3 August 2026 during an appearance on *The Pat McAfee Show*. Rodgers called Fauci a 'coward' and an 'absolute criminal' in response to Fauci's testimony before a Senate hearing the previous week. The hearing focused on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Fauci invoking the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times to avoid answering questions.

The Senate hearing, held the week before Rodgers' comments, examined Fauci's leadership as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Republican lawmakers accused Fauci of endangering the public through his guidance during the pandemic, as reported by Mediaite. Fauci's decision to plead the Fifth became a central point of contention, with Rodgers' remarks amplifying the criticism.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests mentioned the number of times Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment during the Senate hearing. The left-rated digest from Mediaite did not include Rodgers' direct quote calling Fauci an 'absolute criminal'. The centre-rated digest from US Magazine omitted the broader context of the Senate hearing, including the accusations made by Republican lawmakers.

“I’m going to plead the fifth, like that absolute coward, Tony Fauci. Absolute coward.”
— Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback

Tags:#AaronRodgers #AnthonyFauci #COVID19 #SenateHearing #USPolitics

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

The left-rated digest from Mediaite led on the legal context of Fauci's refusal to testify. It reported that Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during the hearing, framing the act as a response to Republican lawmakers' accusations. The digest included the detail that Republican lawmakers accused Fauci of endangering the public with his pandemic guidance.

Centre

The centre-rated digest from US Magazine focused on Rodgers' direct quote, reporting that he called Fauci an 'absolute coward' and an 'absolute criminal'. The digest included Rodgers' remark that he would 'plead the fifth, like that absolute coward, Tony Fauci', but did not mention the number of times Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment or the broader context of the Senate hearing.

Right

All three right-rated digests led on Rodgers' criticism of Fauci, using strong language to describe the quarterback's remarks. Fox News and Conservative Review both reported that Rodgers called Fauci a 'coward', while The Daily Caller and Conservative Review described Rodgers' comments as 'scorched-earth' or 'obliterating'. None of the right-rated digests mentioned the number of times Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment or the specific accusations made by Republican lawmakers during the hearing.

Read it at the source

5 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.