By Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge Staff
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill says the state will examine whether former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci committed offenses that could be pursued in state court following his July 29 Senate testimony and the release of more than 1,000 pages of contemporaneous diary and work records.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced Saturday, Aug. 1, that Louisiana will join Florida and Alabama in investigating Dr. Anthony Fauci following his July 29 appearance before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
“Fauci lied,” Murrill wrote in an Aug. 1 post on X. “Louisiana and Missouri deposed Dr. Fauci. At the time, he claimed to not recall many key details of his own actions and now we are discovering contemporaneous records he kept.”
Murrill said Louisiana would investigate Fauci “and whether he committed any other offenses that could be pursued in our State courts.”
Gov. Jeff Landry has publicly supported the investigation. As Louisiana attorney general, Landry joined Missouri in litigation challenging federal government communications with social-media companies over COVID-19 and other subjects.
Murrill’s comments refer in part to Fauci’s November 2022 deposition in that litigation, originally known as Missouri v. Biden and later Murthy v. Missouri. During the deposition, Fauci repeatedly said he could not recall particular conversations, communications or events related to the federal COVID response.
The recent release by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., of more than 1,000 pages of Fauci’s contemporaneous diary and work records has renewed interest in that testimony.
The existence of a contemporaneous diary, however, does not by itself establish that Fauci testified falsely. A diary may demonstrate what someone knew or discussed when an event occurred, but it does not prove that the person remembered the event when questioned more than two years later.
A more significant issue could arise if the newly released records directly contradict an affirmative statement Fauci made under oath rather than simply documenting an event he later said he could not recall.
Murrill has not publicly identified a specific Louisiana criminal statute she believes Fauci violated, nor has her office detailed the full scope of the state’s investigation.
Senate Committee to Consider Contempt Resolution
The Louisiana announcement comes as Fauci faces a separate battle in Washington.
Fauci appeared under subpoena before Paul’s Senate committee July 29. Following an opening statement, he repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination rather than answer questions concerning COVID-19 origins, federally funded coronavirus research, his previous congressional testimony and other aspects of the pandemic response.
Paul argues that President Joe Biden’s broad federal pardon of Fauci removed his basis for invoking the Fifth Amendment regarding pardoned conduct. Fauci’s attorneys dispute that interpretation, particularly because Paul has repeatedly called for his prosecution and because a presidential pardon applies only to federal offenses.
Paul introduced a resolution Tuesday, Aug. 4, seeking to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is scheduled to consider the resolution Thursday, Aug. 6, at 8:30 a.m. EDT.
Committee approval would not automatically result in Fauci being prosecuted. Additional action by the Senate and potentially the Department of Justice would be required.
The dispute also raises an unusual constitutional question: whether a person who has received a federal pardon may nevertheless invoke the Fifth Amendment when questioning could expose that person to state prosecution or to potential liability for conduct outside the scope of the pardon.
That question may become particularly important in Louisiana, because presidential pardons do not apply to violations of state law.
Murrill has made clear that Louisiana intends to investigate Fauci. What remains unclear is precisely what conduct investigators believe may constitute a Louisiana offense, what gives the state jurisdiction over it — and whether the evidence ultimately supports pursuing a case at all.
Sources: Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill public statement, Aug. 1, 2026; U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; July 29, 2026 Fauci hearing; Reuters; The Hill.