2026-07-30T21:43:01.841Z / 路透社
华盛顿7月30日电（路透社）——安东尼·福奇在拒绝回答参议院关于其处理新冠疫情的100多个问题后，可能面临刑事起诉，这将引发与共和党议员的对峙，考验国会强制作证权的边界。
福奇是美国前顶尖传染病专家，本周在国土安全与政府事务委员会作证。该委员会的共和党主席、肯塔基州的兰德·保罗长期以来一直是福奇的对手，他表示将发起投票，将福奇列为藐视国会对象。
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福奇曾领导美国国家过敏和疾病研究所，并成为美国疫情应对的公众面孔，他谴责保罗所谓的将他送进监狱的运动。
以下是这场争端的当前进展以及未来可能走向：
什么是藐视国会？
美国法律规定，任何被传唤到国会作证或提交文件的人拒绝配合均属犯罪。
国会本身无权启动刑事起诉，因此会将相关案件移交司法部。藐视国会的移交请求必须先经国会委员会批准，随后再由参议院或众议院全院投票通过。
就福奇这一案件而言，这项移交请求可能需要60票多数支持，在目前席位接近的100人参议院中，这需要民主党议员的支持。
随后华盛顿特区的美国检察官办公室将审查这项移交请求，并决定是否就大陪审团面前寻求刑事起诉。该办公室由唐纳德·特朗普总统的亲密盟友珍妮娜·皮尔罗负责。
检察官需要证明什么？
检察官必须证明福奇故意拒绝回答与参议院调查相关的问题。
福奇很可能无法以接受法律建议为由为自己的拒绝行为辩护。此前法官禁止特朗普顾问史蒂夫·班农和彼得·纳瓦罗在面临刑事藐视国会指控时提出这一抗辩，两人均因拒绝配合调查2021年1月6日国会山遇袭事件的众议院委员会而被定罪并监禁。
福奇可以提出哪些辩护？
法律专家表示，针对福奇的刑事案件面临多重障碍。
即便参议院投票通过移交请求且司法部决定提起公诉，大陪审团仍需批准起诉。在特朗普政府任期内，华盛顿特区的大陪审团曾拒绝在多起政治敏感案件中签署起诉文件。
如果福奇被起诉，其律师很可能会辩称，根据美国宪法第五修正案，他有权拒绝回答可能使自己面临刑事责任的问题，因此不应因行使这一权利而面临藐视国会的指控。
前总统乔·拜登曾赦免福奇在2014年至2025年1月期间可能犯下的任何罪行。
这项赦免并不涵盖拜登卸任后发生的任何行为，但可能会影响福奇援引第五修正案进行辩护的可行性。
法律专家表示，法院尚未就获得总统赦免的证人能否拒绝回答国会关于赦免所覆盖行为的问题作出裁决。这一问题很可能需要先得到解决，福奇才能接受审判。
安德鲁·古兹沃德报道。理查德·考恩补充报道；迈克尔·利尔蒙特和霍华德·戈勒编辑
Explainer: Could Fauci face criminal charges for refusing Senate COVID questions?
2026-07-30T21:43:01.841Z / Reuters
WASHINGTON, July 30 (Reuters) – Anthony Fauci could face criminal prosecution after refusing to answer more than 100 Senate questions about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, setting up a confrontation with Republican lawmakers that could test the limits of congressional power to compel testimony.
Fauci, the former top U.S. infectious disease expert, testified this week before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee whose Republican chair, Rand Paul of Kentucky, a longtime Fauci antagonist, has said he will call a vote to refer Fauci for contempt of Congress.
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Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Diseases and became the face of the U.S. pandemic response, has condemned Paul for what he has described as a campaign to have him imprisoned.
Here’s a look at where the dispute stands and what could come next:
WHAT IS CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS?
U.S. law makes it a crime for anyone summoned to appear before Congress to refuse to hand over documents or answer questions.
Congress does not have the authority to initiate criminal prosecutions on its own so it instead refers potential cases to the Justice Department. A contempt referral must first be approved by a congressional committee and then by the full Senate or House of Representatives.
A referral for Fauci in this instance would likely need a 60-vote majority, which would require Democratic support in a closely divided 100-member Senate.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington then reviews the referral and decides whether to seek a criminal indictment before a grand jury. The office is run by Jeanine Pirro, a close ally of President Donald Trump.
WHAT WILL PROSECUTORS HAVE TO PROVE?
Prosecutors would have to prove that Fauci willfully declined to answer questions relevant to a Senate inquiry.
Fauci will likely not be able to argue that his refusal was based on legal advice. Judges barred Trump advisers Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro from raising that defense when they faced criminal contempt charges for refusing to cooperate with the House committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Both Bannon and Navarro were convicted and imprisoned.
WHAT DEFENSES COULD FAUCI RAISE?
A criminal case against Fauci faces several obstacles, legal experts say.
If the Senate votes to support the referral and the Justice Department decides to seek charges, an indictment would still need to be approved by a grand jury. Grand jury panels in Washington have refused to sign off on charges in multiple politically charged cases during the Trump administration.
If Fauci is indicted, his lawyers will likely argue that he cannot face contempt charges for exercising his right under the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment to refuse to answer questions that could expose him to criminal liability.
Then-President Joe Biden pardoned Fauci for any offenses he may have committed from 2014 until January 2025.
The pardon does not cover any conduct that has happened since Biden left office, but it could complicate Fauci’s ability to rely on the Fifth Amendment defense.
Courts have not decided whether a witness who has received a presidential pardon can refuse to answer questions before Congress about the conduct covered by that pardon, legal experts say. That question would likely need to be resolved before Fauci could face trial.
Reporting by Andrew Goudsward. Additional reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Michael Learmonth and Howard Goller
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