What Covid secrets lie within? Senate panel seizes Fauci’s phone

By the Editorial Team · Friday, August 7, 2026

A Senate committee investigating Dr. Anthony Fauci has received data from his former NIAID director iPhone as part of their inquiry into his role during the Covid-19 pandemic. This step intensifies Republican efforts to scrutinize Fauci’s actions and could lead to further document releases and potential legal consequences.

A Senate panel investigating Dr. Anthony Fauci has obtained a copy of the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director’s iPhone, potentially adding to the records related to his role during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) transferred the phone data to the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is chaired by Senator Ron Johnson.

This development follows the recent public release of Dr. Fauci’s journals, which were also handed over from HHS to Congress in recent days. The move signals an intensification of efforts by key Republican lawmakers to scrutinize Dr. Fauci’s actions during the pandemic, including the public health measures implemented and inquiries into the origins of the virus.

Republican Senators Ron Johnson and Rand Paul of Kentucky have been leading the charge. Senator Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is scheduled to hold a vote on Thursday on whether to hold Dr. Fauci in contempt of Congress. This comes after Dr. Fauci declined to answer questions during a committee hearing last week, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights more than 100 times. Dr. Fauci has stated that he has testified or briefed Congress over 200 times during nearly four decades as the nation’s top infectious disease expert. In response to Senator Paul’s aggressive questioning, Dr. Fauci described the senator as having an “unhinged obsession” with him.

Dr. Fauci’s phone was reportedly used during his tenure as NIAID director. His role during the Trump administration’s early pandemic response was highly visible; he occasionally clashed publicly with former President Donald Trump and often advocated for more cautious health measures, which made him a target of Trump loyalists. Dr. Fauci remained in government at the start of the Biden administration and retired in 2022. Near the end of Biden’s presidency, the former president issued a pardon for Dr. Fauci amid concerns that some Republican-led inquiries might lead to criminal charges related to his pandemic actions.

The newly obtained phone data may be part of further releases of documents as senators Johnson and Paul have reportedly received millions of pages of Fauci-related materials from government servers. Both continue to push for additional records. Meanwhile, investigations into Dr. Fauci’s conduct have also been launched by at least four Republican-controlled state governments.

Requests for comments from Dr. Fauci’s legal representatives have not been immediately answered.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.