It appears that many Americans are learning these days that sweeping presidential pardons are not as foolproof as some would have you believe.
That’s informative for swaths of Americans who will never sniff a presidential pardon — and potentially worrying news for those who have received one.
And that means the heat may very well be rising on one Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director.
Fauci has been highly criticized for the guidance he gave during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many Americans feeling that the draconian measures taken in the name of coronavirus were wholly unconstitutional.
On Wednesday, Fauci was grilled by lawmakers on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee about the origins of the coronavirus, which many critics accuse Fauci of not being completely forthright about.
According to Fox News, Fauci effectively avoided all questioning during the hearing, invoking the Fifth Amendment over 100 times.
Will Florida indict Fauci?
Nothing highlighted the absurdity of this better than when GOP Sen. Josh Hawley began to “grill” Fauci with the most basic, straightforward questions imaginable — and yes, Fauci responded to these matters by pleading the Fifth, as well:
Hawley: “What day of the week is it today?”
Fauci: “5th amendment”
Hawley: “What color tie are you wearing?”
Fauci: “5th amendment”
Hawley: “What color is the carpet?”
Fauci: “5th amendment.” pic.twitter.com/IMhiRuQjfe
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 29, 2026
This behavior, in turn, had Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul openly wondering aloud if Fauci should be held in contempt.
“We’re going to have a vote next week on contempt. I think there’s another legal question that the courts may have to decide upon,” Paul said. “And that is whether or not a presidential pardon offers you complete immunity.”
(Paul also pointed out that if presidential pardons do offer you “complete immunity,” there was no reason for Fauci to plead the Fifth as often as he did.)
But while Paul is moving to answer the question just how powerful presidential pardons are, other lawmakers are making their own moves.
That includes lawmakers like Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who seems aware that presidential pardons apply at an executive level — not at a state level.
Investigative journalist Catherine Herridge explained on X:
From the American Bar Association: “A U.S. president has broad powers to issue pardons to individuals involved in criminal investigations. But are those powers unlimited? No, there are some limitations such as for offenses on a state level.”
“There is a strong consensus among… https://t.co/xlOv1WqZn0 pic.twitter.com/MrroBCUm0O
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) July 29, 2026
Herridge posted Wednesday: “From the American Bar Association: ‘A U.S. president has broad powers to issue pardons to individuals involved in criminal investigations. But are those powers unlimited? No, there are some limitations such as for offenses on a state level.’”
She added a quote from Uthmeier: “There is a strong consensus among legal experts that a president cannot pardon someone for a state offense, as the Constitution notes ‘offenses against the United States.’ In other words, state law enforcement authorities could review any criminal allegations, without presidential intervention, to determine if they rise to the level of a state offense.”
And Uthmeier made clear on X that he intends to fully explore the limitations of these presidential pardons.
Fauci’s lack of candor to Congress is unbelievable.
My office is launching an investigation into Dr. Fauci. It’s past time we get the truth of what happened during COVID.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) July 29, 2026
“Fauci’s lack of candor to Congress is unbelievable,” Uthmeier posted. “My office is launching an investigation into Dr. Fauci. It’s past time we get the truth of what happened during COVID.”
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