Chuck Todd: Fauci Taking the Fifth Was a Terrible Idea

Anthony Fauci will likely not get thrown in jail, but there seems to be a realization that he’s likely about to endure a years-long legal battle over how he handled the COVID pandemic. The diary entries are damning, and a Senate panel has his iPhone. He was held in contempt for failing to answer questions before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where he invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times. 

He might not be thrown in jail, but his being flayed alive through the legal process, mocked, ignored, and having his legacy destroyed is just as satisfying. Former Meet the Press host Chuck Todd weighed in on the subject, where he admitted that Fauci’s legal advice was not good, invoking the Fifth made things worse, and this was an overall public relations catastrophe:

💥NEW: Chuck Todd to CNN: “I’ll be honest with you: I thought Anthony Fauci made a HUGE mistake in pleading the Fifth … GIGANTIC mistake! And it’s a TERRIBLE end to his legacy … I think it was a PR mistake — and I REALLY think it harmed the perception of public health.” pic.twitter.com/gtW4AUaW0x

— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) August 6, 2026

He’s not the first. New York University professor Ryan Goodman said on the same day as Fauci’s pummeling on the Hill that this wasn’t the best course. 

CNN’s Erin Burnett asks an NYU law professor if Fauci is in real trouble after pleading the Fifth 111 times.

His answer: It made things WORSE.

BURNETT: “112 times to invoke the Fifth Amendment. I mean, you can’t even string all that together… Will that strategy work? Because… pic.twitter.com/MylhVka3sb

— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) July 30, 2026

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