None of the three late night comedy shows that aired original episodes on Wednesday could bring themselves to even acknowledge the existence of the Fauci hearings, and it wasn’t for a lack of time. Comedy Central’s The Daily Show might not have found the day’s biggest news story important enough to discuss, but they did have time for a skit that hyped the idea that President Trump’s neck looks like a vagina.Host-of-the-week Jordan Klepper began the segment by recapping various Trump-themed merchandise that Trump has sold recently before introducing the skit, “So it's pretty clear that the MAGA faithful, in an act of pure devotion, will buy anything from that man. And luckily, there's a new product they're gonna love.”  The scene began with actor Bobby Cannavale, who played a character named Skip McMahon, promoting “the presidential neck vag”:We MAGA bros know that the best way to honor our president is to look exactly like him. That's why we wore the hat. And the other hat. And that hat too. We wore the ear bandage, and we did the jerk-off dance. But now it's time for your local Trump to level up. Introducing the presidential neck vag. Made of premium, premium, jiggle-responsive silicone and inspired by the fleshy folds of Donald Trump's iconic neck. The neck vag is the perfect accessory for your MAGA life. Strap it on at the next Trump rally or just hang it with the guys! Or wear to that next presentation to get a boost from Trump's swagger.Klepper played the part of a satisfied customer, “I finally have the confidence to get that big promotion! Thanks, Mr. President for giving me a neck that looks like Bea Arthur got a Brazilian!”Cannavale then added, “This pocket is durable yet sensitive. And don't worry about stains. It's water resistant and self-cleaning. The cooter collar is great in any climate. From the bedroom, to the bunker.”That led to a bit between two guys making double entendres about President Bush. After which, Cannavale returned, “Get your presidential neck vag today. For only $47.45, and then you too can look like you are on the cover of a magazine. And for a limited time, we are offering the presidential neck vag in Mar-a-Lago gold. For those more formal occasions.”Desi Lydic then wondered, “Do they come in women's sizes?”A cartoonishly angry Cannavale huffed, “No! These MAGA muffs are for men! Alpha males only!” before concluding, “The presidential neck vag. Open the floodgates of your love for Trump.”Those who try to defend late night’s imbalance of jokes targeting conservatives usually say that is because they simply talk about the news, so it makes sense that during a Republican administration they would joke more about Republicans. However, the big story on Wednesday was a liberal hero with a preemptive pardon refusing to answer any questions about revelations in his diary or about his role in the COVID-19 response and the late night comedy shows acted like it never happened, but they did have time to spend multiple minutes claiming Trump’s neck looks like a vagina.Here is a transcript for the July 29 show:Comedy Central The Daily Show7/29/202611:17 PM ETJORDAN KLEPPER: So it's pretty clear that the MAGA faithful, in an act of pure devotion, will buy anything from that man. And luckily, there's a new product they're gonna love.BOBBY CANNAVALE [As Skip McMahon]: We MAGA bros know that the best way to honor our president is to look exactly like him. That's why we wore the hat. And the other hat. And that hat too. We wore the ear bandage, and we did the jerk-off dance. But now it's time for your local Trump to level up. Introducing the presidential neck vag. Made of premium, premium, jiggle-responsive silicone and inspired by the fleshy folds of Donald Trump's iconic neck. The neck vag is the perfect accessory for your MAGA life. Strap it on at the next Trump rally or just hang it with the guys! Or wear to that next presentation to get a boost from Trump swagger.KLEPPER: I finally have the confidence to get that big promotion! Thanks, Mr. President for giving me a neck that looks like Bea Arthur got a Brazilian!CANNAVALE: This pocket is durable yet sensitive. And don't worry about stains. It's water resistant and self-cleaning. The cooter collar is great in any climate. From the bedroom, to the bunker.MAN: In the end times all I really need are two things: my gun and my presidential neck vag.MAN 2: Same here. Trump is the greatest president to ever lead this beautiful nation.MAN: The worst is President Bush. Man, I hate Bush.MAN 2: I don't mind Bush.CANNAVALE: Get your presidential neck vag today. For only $47.45, and then you too can look like you are on the cover of a magazine. And for a limited time, we are offering the presidential neck vag in Mar-a-Lago gold. For those more formal occasions.DESI LYDIC: Do they come in women's sizes?CANNAVALE: No! These MAGA muffs are for men! Alpha males only! LYDIC: Okay. CANNAVALE: The presidential neck vag. Open the floodgates of your love for Trump.

MS NOW's The 11th Hour on SnapStream When it comes to political comedy or satire, the left only tolerates it from their side. As soon as someone makes a joke they don’t like, they bring out the cancel culture mob. This phenomenon is easily observable when the leftist media tries to cover President Donald Trump, which is what Ali Velshi did on Monday’s episode of The 11th Hour on MS NOW when he and Vox correspondent Zack Beauchamp took issue with Trump joking about running for president a fourth time at his recent rallies and the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “It's a joke, but it's not a joke,” Velshi said, putting on his frowny face.  Beauchamp answered by accusing Trump of using jokes to insert his sinister agenda into the political mainstream:I mean, this is a way in which something that was once in the mainstream or, sorry, excuse me, once out of the mainstream of politics is taken into it, right? You repeat it so many times as a joke. It's, 'oh, no, I couldn't possibly be serious about this. I would never do this.' And then it moves into - it becomes a normalized thing for people to accustom themselves to. He said Trump was essentially playing footsie with a presidential run as a way to normalize an unconstitutional act in the public’s minds. And yet, he admitted Trump had been favoring the not-running side:Now, in this case, I actually don't think it's working.It's very interesting, right? Because Trump has been doing this 2028 trial balloon for a while, and a bunch of people in his own party have already come out and said they don't believe it could happen, like they don't believe it's Constitutional because it obviously isn't, right?And even Trump has said at times, 'I don't think I'm going to do it.' So part of me thinks that even he recognizes that this is a ridiculous gambit, given, like, what the Constitution says. The text is very clear.So, which is it? Is Trump some evil genius, lowering the people’s guards with humor so he can slip in an unconstitutional third term, or was he joking, which was the whole point of the WHCD?“He thinks that he should be able to do whatever he wants,” Beauchamp said. “And so he likes the idea of being able to say, 'I can do this, I can run again. And what are you going to do? Who's going to tell me I can't?'”If Trump likes the idea of being able to say something, that’s just the First Amendment. Trump can say anything he likes with his freedom of speech, but that doesn’t mean he’ll do everything he says. Trump often doesn’t do the things he threatens to do in a serious context. And this line about running again in 2028 definitely wasn’t exactly in a serious context.Sometimes it can be hard to tell if Trump is being earnest. This was not one of those times. So, how should the media respond to this? They should just laugh it off and not let Trump get under their skin so easily.The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:MS NOW's The 11th Hour7/27/2611:08:00 p.m. Eastern(...)ALI VELSHI: And for his part, Trump is showing little interest in convincing anyone of anything. His efforts are all aimed at seizing and holding on to power.[Cut to first video]PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I'm a little bit upset because in two and a half years you may have a different president. May. [Cut to second video]TRUMP: I won three times. Now I'm going to do it again. Thank you. I'm gonna do it. Should be easy.[Cut back to live]VELSHI: Joining me is Zack Beauchamp. He's a senior correspondent at Vox. He's the author of The Reactionary Spirit: How America's Most Insidious Political Traditions have Swept the World. Zack, thanks for being with us. You know, when you saw Donald Trump put that 2020 hat on, it was at the White House Correspondents Dinner redo on Friday night. He claimed he was joking. But, you know, he sells that merchandise. It's a thing people wear. I've seen people with that hat and carrying those signs, Trump 2028, which, according to his math, would be four elections, I think, that he's won because he's won three, he said. It's a joke, but it's not a joke.ZACK BEAUCHAMP: Right. I mean, this is a way in which something that was once in the mainstream or, sorry, excuse me, once out of the mainstream of politics is taken into it, right? You repeat it so many times as a joke. It's, 'oh, no, I couldn't possibly be serious about this. I would never do this.' And then it moves into - it becomes a normalized thing for people to accustom themselves to. Now, in this case, I actually don't think it's working. It's very interesting, right? Because Trump has been doing this 2028 trial balloon for a while, and a bunch of people in his own party have already come out and said they don't believe it could happen, like they don't believe it's Constitutional because it obviously isn't, right? And even Trump has said at times, 'I don't think I'm going to do it.' So part of me thinks that even he recognizes that this is a ridiculous gambit, given, like, what the Constitution says. The text is very clear. On the other hand, I think he really would like to win again, right? He thinks that he should be able to do whatever he wants. And so, he likes the idea of being able to say, 'I can do this, I can run again. And what are you going to do? Who's going to tell me I can't?' Right? And so it's really interesting--[Crosstalk]VELSHI: So, he's got - but he's got the same numbers - he's got the same numbers everybody else does, right? He's running in the mid to low 30s in terms of popularity, which is not uninteresting given that a third of Americans don't vote. I mean that's - mathematically, Donald Trump could win an election. But all the things he's doing right now aren't the actions of somebody who's trying to win an election. The gerrymandering, the SAVE America Act, the mail-in ballots, that's all stuff that's designed to keep people who you think don't vote for you from voting for you--BEAUCHAMP: No, it's--VELSHI: --or for voting for somebody else.BEAUCHAMP: --it's a totally bizarre strategy, right? Because he could be doing things that could help shave on the margins. Like, if you look at authoritarians in other countries in similar circumstances, they don't just try to throw the election. What they do is they try to run up the vote as much as they can in legitimate ways, and supplement it through the things that might rightly be called cheating, right? Gerrymandering, as you just mentioned, trying to disqualify people from the ballot, et cetera. Trump is, is like, it's like he's only interested in half of that formula. Because the policies that he's pursuing on, like a sort of substantive level, are tanking his approval rating.

MS NOW/SnapStream Before Dr. Anthony Fauci pleaded the Fifth Amendment at a Senate hearing after the release of his diaries from the pandemic, Wednesday’s Morning Joe gave a preview of the hearing where 8 AM host Jonathan Lemire defended Fauci and called much of it “taken out of context.” Lemire also minimized the possible Chinese lab origins of COVID-19 and possible U.S. funding of gain-of-function labs, which he called “unproven.”Just as the Senate hearing was set to begin, Lemire introduced the hearing as “Fauci is expected to face some tough questions about the origins of COVID-19 and the federal government's response to the virus.” On Wednesday, Morning Joe finally reported on the Fauci diary release before he appeared at a Senate hearing and pleaded the Fifth.Unsurprisingly, Jonathan Lemire defended Fauci and his diaries, as he said: "Some of this is being taken out of context." pic.twitter.com/rAwytdRe1x— Nick (@nspin310) July 29, 2026 The MS NOW host then detailed released pages of Fauci’s diary and focused on his talk of a “newfound celebrity status”:This comes just days after Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)released more than 1000 pages of Fauci's diary entries from the early months of the pandemic. In some of the entries, Fauci does reveal how much he enjoyed his newfound celebrity status, calling it “flattering.” (...)After he omitted Fauci’s conversations with media personalities, like CNN’s Jake Tapper and others, Lemire gave a quick defense of Fauci and stated, “But he also called some of the attention very unnerving.”In a continued cherry-picked defense of the diaries, Lemire continued and talked about Fauci’s pandemic worries and conversations with President Trump. Lemire turned to talk about the Wuhan lab leak theory and possible US funding of the lab, which he was quick to label as “unproven" despite multiple U.S. agencies disclosing otherwise:Senator Paul has fought with Fauci for years over unproven claims that the United States government funded research at the Chinese lab that may have developed coronavirus there in Wuhan, which sparked that global pandemic back in 2020.Before he introduced MS NOW congressional reporter Kevin Frey, Lemire gave a more full-throated defense of Fauci and claimed the diary was “taken out of context”:The diary suggests he wasn't quite sure what to make of that. And I think some of this is being taken out of context. We know the Republicans have made Fauci a boogeyman for quite some time.Frey, in a moment of foreshadowing, started his report, “I mean, one of the outstanding questions is what exactly he will say. If anything, there is speculation he could try to plead the Fifth.”Fauci eventually did invoke the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer questions at the hearing.A larger focus on Frey’s report seemed to go after Sen. Paul, as he said, “Democrats that I've talked to, including one of the members of this committee, have essentially said that Paul has a vendetta against Fauci.”He continued with more Fauci defense, “and one could argue, and I imagine there will be some argument, particularly from Democrats, that this is part of his public awareness campaign that he was essentially documenting (...)”After Morning Joe waited to mention the Fauci diaries until the moment of the hearing, they and others in the media seem poised to be forced to discuss the topic after he pleaded the Fifth.The transcript is below. Click "expand":MS NOW’s Morning JoeJuly 29, 202608:31:12 AM Eastern(...)JONATHAN LEMIRE: So, in a Senate hearing that's scheduled to begin in just a few minutes, former White House Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci is expected to face some tough questions about the origins of COVID-19 and the federal government's response to the virus. This comes just days after Republican Senator Rand Paul released more than 1000 pages of Fauci's diary entries from the early months of the pandemic. In some of the entries, Fauci does reveal how much he enjoyed his newfound celebrity status, calling it “flattering,” and that the high people he was meeting, such as Julia Roberts, Joan Baez. But he also called some of the attention very unnerving. Fauci's journal also documents his concern about the rising case counts, deaths, and questions about the spread of the virus. Other entries detail his conversations with President Trump, in which Fauci writes that the president pushed him to be more positive when he made his TV appearances.Senator Paul has fought with Fauci for years over unproven claims that the United States government funded research at the Chinese lab that may have developed coronavirus there in Wuhan, which sparked that global pandemic back in 2020. Paul, who arranged this morning's hearing, argues that the writings prove Fauci discussed the origins of the virus differently in public than he did in private, and he has accused the scientist of destroying government records related to pandemic response efforts. Fauci, who retired in 2022, has strongly denied the allegations during previous congressional testimony. Let's bring in MS NOW congressional reporter Kevin Frey, who joins us live from Capitol Hill. Kevin, I mean, Doctor Fauci, let's first of all, let's be clear. Has served the American people long before the COVID pandemic, already heralded as one of the nation's top scientists and public servants. Unexpectedly put in the spotlight here in 2020,. The diary suggests he wasn't quite sure what to make of that. And I think some of this is being taken out of context. We know the Republicans have made Fauci a boogeyman for quite some time. So, with that as the backdrop, Fauci will appear, you know, there in front of the cameras in the hearing hall today. What should we expect?KEVIN FREY: Yeah. I mean, one of the outstanding questions is what exactly he will say. If anything, there is speculation he could try to plead the Fifth. We know that Paul has referred him to the DOJ under the Biden years previously. So, this threat is outstanding. And certainly Paul has made no - he's not been exactly coy about his desire to potentially try to catch Fauci in what he describes as a lie. If you look at his Twitter account from the last few days, that is basically every other installment on his Twitter feed, which is essentially his don't lie we're going to hold him accountable. They are also expected to, as you mentioned, as they're coming with this new diary of documents, go after him on this question of what Fauci knew and when he knew it. There is an entry from a few months into the pandemic. We are talking early February of 2020, so, before we even really saw massive shutdowns here in the United States, where Fauci is part of a call with several other scientists from around the globe, discussing where this could have originated. And there was disagreement on that call. Nonetheless, this is something that we have seen Paul highlight online. We expect him to try to corner him on exactly the origins of this. This has been one of Paul's personal focuses for quite some time now, to the point where Democrats that I've talked to, including one of the members of this committee, have essentially said that Paul has a vendetta against Fauci. One other thing is you highlighted here that we expect him to at least be pressed on is this celebrity question. Throughout the diary entries, yes, he is documenting which interviews he's doing and when he is doing them. And one could argue, and I imagine there will be some argument, particularly from Democrats, that this is part of his public awareness campaign that he was essentially documenting: “Okay, how am I getting out the word about the seriousness of COVID-19?But at the same time, he is touting his interactions with Barbra Streisand over the phone and playing music for her on his Amazon Alexa. That is likely to be something - just talking with Senator Ron Johnson, another Republican on this panel, he's likely going to bring up. That he wants to highlight, yes, he was famous, but he needs to be, in Ron Johnson's words, infamous. So, this is going to probably get very personal very quickly. But again, the question is precisely what Fauci decides to do. We've been given no clear indication. His team has been mum in the lead-up to this. One other thing, as you highlighted at the top there, Jonathan, this is quite the trajectory for Fauci, who for 40 years was a leading health expert within the United States. He is credited in a bipartisan fashion for his work on AIDS and HIV, both domestically and internationally, including under the Bush administration.And now he's coming under scrutiny six years later, we should say, after COVID outbreak broke out across the globe. He's coming under renewed scrutiny here on Capitol Hill.(...)

The contentious Hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs forced the Elitist Media Evening News to devote something more than a brief to the ongoing swirl of scandal surrounding the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci. And in so doing, they reverted to an all-too-familiar playbook: Republicans Pounce. After a David Muir-esque introduction, fill-in anchor Whit Johnson threw to Jay O’Brien. O’Brien began his report by heaping praise on Fauci and setting him up as a secular saint. O’Brien then amplified Fauci’s narrative line on the hearings (“unhinged obsession”), and gave credence to the wet market Covid origin theory: WATCH: @ABCWorldNews framed their coverage of Anthony Fauci's Senate hearing with syrupy praise, by repeating his talking points ("unhinged obsession"), and by giving credibility to the debunked wet market Covid origin theory:JAY O’BRIEN: Doctor Anthony Fauci, the man millions… pic.twitter.com/MqLMt8qwCL— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) July 30, 2026 JAY O’BRIEN: Doctor Anthony Fauci, the man millions of Americans turned to for answers during the Covid pandemic…RAND PAUL: The whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help you God.O’BRIEN: …today refusing to answer a single question from the senate's homeland security committee, accusing the Republican chairman, Senator Rand Paul, of having an unhinged obsession with him.ANTHONY FAUCI: 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.”O’BRIEN: In three hours. Fauci invoking the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times.FAUCI: On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer.O’BRIEN: Paul at one point threatening to kick Fauci's lawyer out of the chamber.PAUL: I said, sit quietly. You are not recognized. Another word, and you're gone.O’BRIEN: About a minute later…PAUL: Security, please remove him from the room.O’BRIEN: The 85-year-old Fauci, who served in government for 54 years and has testified in more than 200 hearings, sitting stone-faced as Republicans needled him.JOSH HAWLEY: Nothing says honesty like taking the Fifth, huh Doc? Let's try something. What day of the week is it today?FAUCI: On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.HAWLEY: Well, what color tie are you wearing?FAUCI: On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer…O’BRIEN: Paul pushing Fauci on whether he covered up the origins of Covid. While most scientists believe the virus likely jumped from an animal to humans, some U.S. Intelligence agencies conclude it more likely leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China.The contentious hearing compelled coverage of the Fauci Diaries, but it was scant. 29 seconds centering on celebrity interactions, and on framing it as a “private diary” as opposed to a document found on a government server- which is how Health Secretary RFK, Jr. handed it over in the first place, but it is never really explained to viewers.ABC closes out with Democrat defenses, and an emphasis on President Biden’s autopen pardon of Fauci.CBS somewhat followed the same template: WATCH: @CBSEveningNews followed the "Republicans Pounce' template with its report on the Fauci hearing: Bernie and Hawley, "Unhinged obsession", Dems defend, and the contempt vote next week.MATT GUTMAN: Now to that angry Senate hearing with Dr. Anthony Fauci today, the GOP… pic.twitter.com/0zHCSUmXa1— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) July 30, 2026 CBS EVENING NEWS7/29/266:37:PMMATT GUTMAN: Now to that angry Senate hearing with Dr. Anthony Fauci today, the GOP confronting him over diary entries and his handling of the government response to the Covid pandemic. Fauci refusing to answer any questions, he now faces threats of contempt. CBS News Congressional Correspondent Nikole Killion reports.NIKOLE KILLION: In question...Who the [bleep] Do you think you were for doing that?KILLION: …after question…JOSH HAWLEY: What day of the week is it today?KILLION: Dr. Anthony Fauci gave the same answer. ANTHONY FAUCI: On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer. (VIDEO SWIPE) I respectfully decline to answer. (VIDEO SWIPE) I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.KILLION: The former Covid advisor invoked the Fifth more than 100 times after being subpoenaed by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who he has clashed with for years, calling it “an unhinged obsession.”FAUCI: …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.”KILLION: Paul kicked one of Fauci's lawyers out of the hearing.PAUL: Security, please remove him from the room.KILLION: He countered that the panel was simply seeking answers to the origins of Covid and whether it originated naturally or was leaked by a lab in Wuhan, China. Paul recently released a trove of Fauci's diary entries that he claims shows the 85-year-old immunologist had contradicting views.PAUL: While you concluded publicly that covid occurred naturally, your private record tells a different story.KILLION: Democrats accused the GOP Of conducting a biased investigation.RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: This years-long public crusade against Dr. Fauci makes one thing clear: This is not a serious effort to seek information from Dr. Fauci.KILLION: Chairman Paul plans a committee vote next week to hold Dr. Fauci in contempt of congress for refusing to answer questions. Fauci was pardoned by Former President Biden, but it would likely only cover him for any actions before it was issued, Matt.GUTMAN: Nikole, I’m sure you’ll be there as well. Thank you.CBS’s report focused more on the hearing and revealed none of the contents of the Fauci Diaries. There were some of those same points. Harsh Republican questioning, “unhinged obsession”, and the Covid origin theory being muddied (“seeking truth”). The report also closed out with mentions of Biden’s pardon and the upcoming contempt vote. So much for CBS lurching to the right, as the Media Hall Monitors often assert. On the other hand: CBS did immediately follow that item with an interview with National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya- an original signer of the 2020 Great Barrington letter, which opposed draconian lockdowns. Finally, there is NBC Nightly News, who also followed the same template: WATCH: @NBCNightlyNews follows the same "Republicans Pounce" template with the Fauci hearing BUT delves further into the Fauci Files.TOM LLAMAS: Back at home in Washington, Dr. Anthony Fauci was grilled by lawmakers over his actions during the pandemic, but Fauci did not answer… pic.twitter.com/kn4UkajzTO— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) July 30, 2026 NBC NIGHTLY NEWS7/29/266:37 PMTOM LLAMAS: Back at home in Washington, Dr. Anthony Fauci was grilled by lawmakers over his actions during the pandemic, but Fauci did not answer questions, instead taking the Fifth. Here’s Monica Alba.ANTHONY FAUCI: On the advice of counsel I respectfully…MONICA ALBA: Dr. Anthony Fauci today invoking his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times…FAUCI: I respectfully decline to answer… ALBA: Declining to answer lawmaker questions about his handling of the pandemic, citing what he called GOP Senator Rand Paul’s “unhinged obsession” with prosecuting him.FAUCI: The sole reason he's 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.ALBA: Fauci's attorney was removed after he interrupted the hearing to speak. Democrats defending Fauci.GARY PETERS: I fear the intent of this hearing is only meant to further a purely partisan agenda.ALBA: All of it after Paul published more than 1,100 pages of Fauci's personal diary, including where Fauci gushed about praise he received from celebrities like Bono, Julia Roberts, and Barbra Streisand, writing: “it is not hyperbole to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country.”JOSH HAWLEY: You wanted to be on TV, you wanted to be the Sun God of Science. You could sit for In Style magazine but you can't answer questions for the American people.ALBA: In one entry, Fauci also wrote about a phone call where he said he successfully convinced New York City's mayor to close schools. Republican senators grilling him over those Covid lockdown measures.BERNIE MORENO: Who the [ bleep ] Do you think you are doing that? (VIDEO SWIPE) It is a total disgrace what you did to this country.ALBA: Former President Biden pardoned Fauci for any potential offenses during an 11-year period before 2025, but it would not cover his statements today.And Senator Paul’s committee plans to vote next week on holding Dr. Fauci in contempt of Congress, but it would ultimately be up to the DoJ to prosecute him. Tom.LLAMAS: Monica, thank you.NBC did Republicans Pounce as well, but this was probably the crispest report of the three. Correspondent Monica Alba checked off the same boxes as the others, but she did include substantially more of the Fauci Diaries than ABC or CBS. In a sense, the diaries were buried within coverage of the hearing, when they in fact should have been reported on their own.Furthermore, coverage of the hearings was intentionally shallow in that there was no exposure of the substance of the questions asked of Fauci. Viewers got to see some of the fiery moments with Sens. Moreno and Hawley. In the case of the Hawley questioning, viewers didn't get to see some of the questions related to how Fauci got federal employees to chase awards for him. Furthermore, viewers missed out on Sen. John Fetterman's thoughtful speech and on Sen. Joni Ernst's exposition of some of the research Fauci backed- which involved embedding human fetal cells into mice. Everything was, say it with me, Republicans Pounce.The Fauci Diaries being held until the hearing and then buried within is proof evident that the what the Elitist Media DON’T report is often more important than what they do. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on ABC World News Tonight on Wednesday, July 29th, 2026:WHIT JOHNSON: We turn now to that fiery hearing on Capitol Hill focused on the origins of the Covid pandemic. Doctor Anthony Fauci called before a Senate committee facering- facing a blistering assault from Republicans. The 85-year-old Fauci refusing to answer questions, invoking the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times. ABC's Jay O'Brien on Capitol Hill.JAY O’BRIEN: Doctor Anthony Fauci, the man millions of Americans turned to for answers during the Covid pandemic…RAND PAUL: The whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help you God.O’BRIEN: …today refusing to answer a single question from the senate's homeland security committee, accusing the Republican chairman, Senator Rand Paul, of having an unhinged obsession with him.ANTHONY FAUCI: 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.”O’BRIEN: In three hours. Fauci invoking the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times.FAUCI: On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer.O’BRIEN: Paul at one point threatening to kick Fauci's lawyer out of the chamber.PAUL: I said, sit quietly. You are not recognized. Another word, and you're gone.O’BRIEN: About a minute later…PAUL: Security, please remove him from the room.O’BRIEN: The 85-year-old Fauci, who served in government for 54 years and has testified in more than 200 hearings, sitting stone-faced as Republicans needled him.JOSH HAWLEY: Nothing says honesty like taking the Fifth, huh Doc? Let's try something. What day of the week is it today?FAUCI: On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.HAWLEY: Well, what color tie are you wearing?FAUCI: On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer…O’BRIEN: Paul pushing Fauci on whether he covered up the origins of Covid. While most scientists believe the virus likely jumped from an animal to humans, some U.S. Intelligence agencies conclude it more likely leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China.PAUL: It's against the law to obstruct an investigation of Congress. There will be repercussions to your refusal to testify today.O’BRIEN: Fauci insisting Paul is out to embarrass and intimidate him, pointing to the release of his personal diaries, which were discovered and handed over by Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. In them, Fauci, reflecting on his exploding fame as the virus spread, writing,” I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable in the world.” The doctor describing his interactions with celebrities including Julia Roberts, Kim Kardashian and Barbra Streisand, who once called him for vaccine advice.RICK SCOTT: You loved every newspaper profile, every photo shoot, every fancy dinner with the elites.O’BRIEN: Democrats defending Fauci, saying he's being turned into a scapegoat.RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: The campaign to vilify you, doctor Fauci, is just one part of this larger campaign against science and facts, a campaign that has made Americans less safe.O’BRIEN: And Whit, Senator Paul saying tonight that his committee will vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt. It's worth remembering Fauci has a blanket preemptive pardon from President Biden, today President Trump saying that he respects that pardon, calling it “powerful.” Whit.JOHNSON: And Jay, there's breaking news on another front. Trouble for President Trump's nominee for Attorney General.O’BRIEN: That's exactly right, Whit. Texas Republican senator John Cornyn is standing in the way of Todd Blanche's confirmation. One of Cornyn's demands is that Blanche put in writing that that $1.8 billion fund that would have used taxpayer money to pay Trump's allies is officially dead. Cornyn canceling a meeting with Blanche today. There's a big committee vote set for tomorrow. It is in limbo tonight now, Whit.JOHNSON: All right. Jay O’Brien for us tonight.

The lawyer representing COVID czar Dr. Anthony Fauci who had to be removed by security from Wednesday’s Senate hearing has a legacy of representing controversial figures.The attorney, identified as attorney David Schertler, was escorted out of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee when insisted on speaking and sitting in an unauthorized area, despite repeated admonishments and warnings by Committee Chairman Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).Chairman Paul repeatedly told Schertler that he was not recognized to speak at the hearing, that he could not testify on Fauci’s behalf after the doctor invoked the Fifth Amendment because of the threat of self-incrimination. Paul also repeatedly told the attorney that he needed to sit in the row behind Fauci, instead of next to him.“This is the way Anthony Fauci wants to be remembered, for a lawyer not listening to the rules,” Chairman Paul noted."You basically don’t call him unless you’re in deep s**t," a veteran D.C. attorney, who represents politically connected clients, told The Washington Free Beacon in September of 2023 when Schertler was hired to represent then-Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in a high-profile criminal trial. As Free Beacon recalled, Schertler has a propensity to represent criminally-charged “elite” from criminal charges:“Considered one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the country, David Schertler has represented all walks of elite life: an NFL player caught with a gun, military officials involved in shady lobbying, a high-profile murder suspect. Now, Schertler represents Menendez's campaign and his wife, the subjects of a multiyear Justice Department probe.”Despite retaining Schertler as counsel, Menendez was convicted on 16 federal felony counts including bribery, extortion, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt - and sentenced to 11 years in prison and permanently barred from holding public office in New Jersey.When he was called to testify in Congress in 2025 regarding a potential cover-up of former President Joe Biden’s mental decline while in office, Biden’s White House Physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, also hired Schertler.Like Fauci, Dr. O’Connor also refused to voluntarily appear before Congress and invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering any questions when he was compelled to appear.In the days before the House Oversight Committee hearing, Schertler unsuccessfully tried to have the July 9, 2025 hearing cancelled, or at least postponed, on the basis of doctor-client confidentiality.In his June 5, 2025 subpoena of O’Connor, House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) noted that issues of doctor-patient privilege “lack merit” because the American Medical Association’s code of ethics is not part of federal law.Unlike Dr. O’Connor, Dr. Fauci enjoys a blanket pardon by President Biden for all potential crimes committed while in office – and he appears to need it, Rep. Comer told Fox News on Tuesday:“We now know why President Biden gave a blanket pardon to Dr. Fauci. While obsessing about his own fame, Dr. Fauci wasn’t truthful with the American people about the origins of COVID and advised schools to be closed.”Excerpts from Dr. Fauci’s diary released by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) on Saturday appear to show that the Fauci-promoted origin theory of COVID, that it came from a Wuhan, China wet market, was not true.  Specifically, Paul cited an entry from January 26, 2020 in which Fauci admitted that the market was not the source of the virus.