A Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has obtained a copy of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s iPhone, according to a spokesperson for the panel’s chairman, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).
The spokesperson said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provided the device to the subcommittee as lawmakers continue their investigation involving the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The development comes ahead of a planned committee vote on whether to recommend holding Dr. Fauci in contempt of Congress after he declined to testify at a hearing held last week.
Republican members of the panel argue that Fauci’s testimony is necessary for their investigation, while his representatives have maintained that his actions have been consistent with legal obligations and previously provided testimony before Congress.
It remains unclear what information investigators expect to obtain from the phone or whether the device’s contents will be subject to additional legal review or privacy protections.
The dispute is the latest chapter in ongoing congressional scrutiny of Fauci’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic, an issue that continues to generate political and public debate.
The subcommittee is expected to consider the proposed contempt action in the coming days as its investigation continues.
