National security experts are calling for the Chinese Communist Party to face accountability over the coronavirus pandemic following a Senate committee’s vote to hold former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress, arguing scrutiny of Fauci should not end the effort to determine responsibility for COVID-19.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 8-5 Thursday to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times during testimony before the committee, whose inquiry included COVID-19’s origins, risky life sciences research, and his federal service. Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) argued Fauci’s Fifth Amendment claims were improper because former President Joe Biden had granted him a sweeping pardon covering his government service from 2014 through January 2025.
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Paul said Fauci therefore had little risk of prosecution for truthful answers about conduct covered by the pardon, while Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) pointed to Fauci’s refusal to answer even basic questions, including whether a folder was sitting in front of him, as evidence that his invocation of the Fifth Amendment was not tailored to any specific threat of prosecution. Fauci’s attorney David Schertler called the vote a “crude political stunt” intended to punish Fauci for exercising his constitutional rights. The vote came as the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations obtained a copy of Fauci’s cellphone from the Department of Health and Human Services and Florida subpoenaed Fauci, focusing on his alleged self-dealing during the pandemic.
Dr. Anthony Fauci appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the Capitol, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
In the wake of the committee action, Polaris National Security, an advocacy organization that promotes a ‘Peace Through Strength’ approach to U.S. foreign policy, released a report arguing that holding Fauci accountable should be only one part of the response to COVID-19 and that the Chinese Communist Party must also face accountability.
“Senate Republicans voted to hold Dr. Fauci in contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with oversight efforts. This is an important step toward accountability, but it cannot be the last,” the report states.
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“The Chinese Communist Party must answer for its role in unleashing a global pandemic that killed over 1.2 million Americans and ravaged the world,” it continues. “If the CCP is able to fuel a global health crisis, cover up its role, and walk away without paying a price, this communist regime will be more emboldened to flout global norms and exploit U.S. vulnerabilities — and those of likeminded nations — for its benefit.”
The report says Americans were promised transparency regarding COVID-19’s origins and the decisions shaping the government’s response, but alleges Biden instead dismissed Americans’ questions and told them to accept the administration’s narrative.
It also says Fauci’s influence as one of the nation’s most powerful public health officials carried an obligation to be forthcoming with both Congress and the public.
Polaris alleges Fauci misled Americans about issues including COVID-19’s origins, gain-of-function research, and U.S.-funded coronavirus research in China. The report says Fauci privately acknowledged as early as January 2020 that available data did not support a Wuhan wet-market origin while he publicly pointed to the market as the virus’s likely source and worked to discredit the lab-leak theory.
The report additionally says Fauci privately knew many scientists favored a Chinese laboratory explanation while he publicly dismissed the lab-leak theory.
Polaris also points to Fauci’s testimony concerning U.S.-funded research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, asserting that after denying U.S. funding supported gain-of-function research there, Fauci acknowledged coronavirus research used techniques the report characterizes as dangerous.
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The organization says Congress should investigate why information was withheld from Americans, the use of taxpayer money by federal agencies, and what changes are necessary to prepare for a future pandemic.
Polaris says scrutiny of U.S. officials should not eclipse questions surrounding China’s conduct.
“Accountability for American officials is necessary, but that should not distract us from another central issue: The CCP’s role in the origins and spread of COVID-19,” the report states.
It accuses Beijing of obstructing investigations and hampering the international response by withholding information about the outbreak, arresting doctors and scientists who raised alarms, destroying documents, restricting access to data, and downplaying the virus’s severity.
The report also criticizes the Biden administration’s response to China, saying it did too little to pursue accountability while rejoining the World Health Organization without first securing reforms.
Polaris further cites evidence it says supports the possibility that COVID-19 originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, noting that the facility conducted research on bat viruses and had been the subject of biosafety concerns.
The report says multiple U.S. agencies and intelligence assessments have concluded a laboratory incident is the most likely explanation for the pandemic’s origin while China continues to resist further investigation.
Polaris calls for the United States and its partners to form a coalition demanding an investigation into China’s role, impose consequences if Beijing refuses to comply, pursue changes at the WHO, and expand sanctions against relevant Chinese officials.
“If China can hide information, block investigations, and escape accountability for COVID-19, why would it act differently in the next pandemic?” the report asks.
The organization says COVID-19 “should have been a wake-up call for the West,” exposing how the CCP could exploit U.S. dependence and other national security vulnerabilities during a future crisis.
“Holding Dr. Fauci accountable is a necessary step, but accountability for COVID must include Beijing too,” it adds.
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Polaris identifies American dependence on Chinese pharmaceutical supply chains as one such vulnerability. The report says China supplies 97 percent of U.S. antibiotics and controls 90 percent of the global supply of key starting materials used for generic medicines, which account for 91 percent of U.S. prescriptions.
“In the next global crisis, Beijing could weaponize that dependence overnight,” the report warns.
The report also points to competition over artificial intelligence, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, and intellectual property, saying China is seeking to erode America’s technological advantage while circumventing export controls.
It cites Chinese cyber activity targeting U.S. telecommunications networks, power grids, water systems, pipelines, and transportation systems as another source of concern.
Polaris also highlights China’s role in critical-mineral processing, saying the country holds significant leverage over materials essential to weapons systems, batteries, and electronics and has demonstrated a willingness to use economic pressure against countries resisting Beijing’s objectives.
The report additionally points to fentanyl entering American communities, the harvesting of Americans’ data, election interference, influence operations and propaganda, espionage targeting military installations, businesses, and schools, provocative military moves targeting Taiwan and the Philippines, and China arming adversaries such as Iran.
“Beijing is exploiting vulnerabilities across every dimension of American life. COVID-19 exposed one weakness, but China is probing for more,” the report states. “The United States cannot afford another crisis that allows Beijing to wreck our security.”
The organization credits President Donald Trump with efforts to strengthen critical supply chains, expand protections against Chinese surveillance, increase American energy production, and encourage domestic innovation.
Polaris recommends strengthening oversight of pathogen research, ending research it considers dangerous, rebuilding U.S. biodefense capabilities, and securing pharmaceutical and medical supply chains.
The report also calls for accelerated construction of AI infrastructure and data centers, greater energy production and semiconductor manufacturing, and stronger export controls intended to prevent Beijing from acquiring advanced technologies that could be used to threaten the United States.
On defense, the organization says the United States should rebuild military strength, increase support for allies in the Indo-Pacific, and reinforce deterrence.
It specifically calls for Congress to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, a defense supplemental, and a third budget reconciliation bill.
“Accountability for COVID-19 begins with Dr. Fauci, but it must end with Communist China,” the Polaris report concludes. “America cannot afford another era of complacency toward the Chinese Communist Party. The pandemic was not just a public health crisis—it was a warning about how Beijing can harm America’s security and prosperity. The U.S. must act now to ensure China cannot subvert our security and put the American people at risk.”
Cale Brown, chair of Polaris National Security, told Breitbart News exclusively, “While real scrutiny of Anthony Fauci’s connections to and conduct throughout the pandemic is long overdue, we can’t allow it to substitute for accountability for those most at blame for the global health crisis that claimed millions of lives: the leadership of the Peoples’ Republic of China. The CCP’s dangerous and reckless bioresearch likely initiated the epidemic, according to estimates from the U.S. intelligence apparatus; it clearly slowed global action by refusing to share information and by tamping down voices raising alarms in China; and it weaponized pandemic response for its own propaganda campaign. Covid provided the clearest view of the nature of the Chinese Communist regime—deceptive, repressive, and calculating in serving its interests. We would be foolish to assume their future behavior would be any more respectful of global norms, any less focused on its own accretion of power.”
Michael Lucci, CEO and founder of State Armor, said in an exclusive statement to Breitbart News, “As Americans continue to debate what went wrong during COVID, we can’t lose sight of the Chinese Communist Party’s central role in unleashing a crisis that devastated the world. The CCP covered up critical information, silenced those who spoke out, lied to the American medical community, and dodged accountability while American families lost loved ones, small businesses were destroyed, and our entire way of life was turned upside down. COVID should be a wake-up call that we cannot depend on our greatest geopolitical adversary for lifesaving medicines and critical goods, and we cannot allow the CCP to walk away without being held accountable.”
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