Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) didn’t mince words when asked about former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci’s refusal to answer questions during Wednesday’s Senate hearing.
Fauci came under fire for pleading the Fifth over 100 times during the hearing, where Republicans savaged him and Democrats gave him a pass.
A reporter caught up with Moreno at the Capitol building and asked why Fauci refused to answer any questions about his contradictory statements on the origin of the pandemic and other issues.
“Because he’s a piece of s**t,” Moreno answered.
Sen. Bernie Moreno on why Dr. Anthony Fauci pleaded the Fifth: “Because he’s a piece of sh*t.” pic.twitter.com/fTwADgC9Qb
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 30, 2026
Moreno was one of the most aggressive lawmakers when questioning Fauci during the hearing on the response to the coronavirus. He slammed the former official for failing to take responsibility for his handling of the pandemic. “Clearly, what you think today is that somehow you’re above reproach. Somehow you feel like you don’t need to be treated like a normal American.”
The senator recounted a 2020 incident in which an Ohio mother was arrested for refusing to wear a mask at a middle school football game and said that story led him to enter politics. Moreno then told Fauci, “Here I am sitting in front of you six years later saying, ‘Who the f–k do you think you were for doing that?’”
This morning, I gave Anthony Fauci the chance to do something simple: turn around, look at everyone he hurt with his lockdowns, vax mandates, and mask mandates, and apologize.
— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) July 29, 2026
He wouldn’t even look at them. What a disgrace, but Democrats still slavishly defend him. Pathetic. pic.twitter.com/fbfd6OzlwE
Moreno also said, “It is a total disgrace what you did to this country, and if my Democrat colleagues are standing there defending you, I hope the voters, the United States of America, watch the clips of every one of you on a guy who was more interested in being a celebrity than saving American people.”
My simple question for Anthony Fauci this morning: who the fuck do you think you are?
— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) July 29, 2026
Fauci’s message to the countless Americans he locked in their homes, who were fired from their jobs over vax mandates, the children he forced to wear masks? “I plead the 5th.” Criminal. pic.twitter.com/mm9JWQSf6Z
Moreno’s criticism of Fauci and the COVID-19 pandemic response stretches back years and helped motivate him to run for office. In a May 2026 post, Moreno said, “Fauci did irreparable damage to America - destroying millions of lives, stripping kids of their childhood, shuttering businesses, & costing us trillions. It’s time for accountability. He should be prosecuted and perp walked in handcuffs in front of the world.”
He also said he “can’t think of a person who did more generational harm to Americans than that little rat bastard, Anthony Fauci.”
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