Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of using taxpayer-funded staff to pursue more than $1 million in personal cash awards during the COVID-19 pandemic, allegations Fauci declined to address while repeatedly invoking the Fifth Amendment.

The exchange took place during a contentious hearing on Wednesday, when the former White House COVID adviser appeared before the Republican-led committee under subpoena from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. The hearing unfolded against a broader backdrop of congressional scrutiny over pandemic-era decision-making and the use of public resources, with Hawley pressing Fauci on whether federal employees had been directed to assist with award applications while the government was still managing the health crisis.

Hawley said Fauci directed federal employees to help him secure lucrative awards while millions of Americans were dealing with the pandemic.

"You were using federal employees with taxpayer money to apply for and solicit cash prizes for you personally, cash prizes totaling over $1 million," Hawley said. "You did all of that during the pandemic, didn't you?"

Rather than answer, Fauci repeatedly replied: "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution."

Hawley then cited what he described as internal emails from Fauci's staff, including one from former chief of staff Greg Folkers about a nomination for the Dan David Prize. According to Hawley, the email asked federal employees to strengthen the COVID-19 portion of Fauci's nomination by providing language about his pandemic response.

"We're working on this nomination for the Dan David Award for Fauci," Hawley read from the email. "We need to beef up the COVID part."

Hawley said the Dan David Award carried a $900,000 cash prize and alleged that Fauci used federal employees to help obtain it. He also accused Fauci of using government staff and resources to pursue at least eight other cash awards, including honors from the Partnership for Public Service, the Adelson Prize, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Academy of Medicine and the CDC Foundation.

"In fact, you turned your staff into a full-time application machine," Hawley said. "You actually wrote to people and said, 'Do you think maybe I'd qualify?'"

Hawley further alleged that Fauci used eight separate federal employees, on government time, to help with the award applications, and asked whether the claims were true.

Fauci again declined to answer, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, something he did more than 100 times during the hearing.

Although former President Joe Biden granted the retired infectious disease expert a presidential pardon, critics have argued he could still face prosecution if he commits perjury while testifying under oath.

In his opening remarks, Fauci accused Paul of having an "obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution."

"The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, quote, behind bars, unquote," he said.

Hawley told FOX Business that Fauci "has zero rights under the Fifth Amendment" because of his pardon.

"He got rich while people were dying," Hawley said. "He used federal employees with taxpayer money to apply for and solicit cash prizes. He needs to answer for it."

Fauci said he invoked the Fifth Amendment on the advice of counsel, while acknowledging that doing so was difficult for him.