Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) erupted Wednesday at Anthony Fauci during a tense Senate hearing, using an expletive while accusing the former government health official of committing grave “crimes.”

Fauci was required to testify Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security Committee in connection with questions about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the weekend, portions of his personal diary were published, and several Republican senators cited them during the hearing, adding fresh political pressure to a long-running fight over the federal response to COVID-era decisions.

“It was about six years ago today that I decided I'm gonna give up my businesses, sell them all, run for office, run for the United States Senate. Here I am, sitting in front of you six years later saying who the f--- do you think you were for doing that?” Moreno said, waving his finger angrily.

“It is a total disgrace what you did to this country. There is no defense of what you did. You may have had a 50-plus year legacy of public service, but it ends in total and complete disgrace.”

Moreno then asked Fauci, who throughout the hearing declined to answer questions and invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, whether he had “the dignity” to apologize to people he said Fauci “harmed” during the pandemic.

Fauci again invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer.

“It’s no secret why you have to hire the biggest dirtbag attorney on the planet because of what you did,” Moreno continued. “I hope you’re paying him well, and I hope that one way or the other, somewhere, sometime, you answer for your crimes.”

"Who the f**k do you think you were for doing that?" — Sen. @berniemoreno to Anthony Fauci pic.twitter.com/mjsf9vVVh9 — Alexander Willis (@ReporterWillis) July 29, 2026