Barbara Streisand slams Fauci ‘witch hunt’ after Senate committee contempt vote
by The Washington Times AI News Desk · The Washington TimesBarbra Streisand came to Anthony Fauci’s defense this month after a Senate committee voted to hold the former White House chief medical adviser in contempt of Congress, accusing Republicans of mounting a “disgraceful witch hunt” against him.
“Dr. Anthony Fauci has been subjected to a disgraceful witch hunt by Senate Republicans,” Ms. Streisand, 84, wrote in the Friday post. “Dr Fauci is an American hero.”
Ms. Streisand credited him with helping speed development of treatments during the AIDS epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic and accused the GOP of trying to rewrite pandemic history.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 8-5 along party lines on Thursday to hold Dr. Fauci in contempt after he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times during a hearing the week before on the origins of the pandemic. Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he would refer the matter directly to the Justice Department rather than seek a full Senate vote. Dr. Fauci’s attorney, David Schertler, called the vote a “crude political stunt.”
Dr. Fauci received a preemptive pardon from then-President Joe Biden covering potential federal offenses from Jan. 1, 2014, through Jan. 19, 2025, arising from his service in several federal health posts. The pardon does not cover conduct connected to his 2026 Senate testimony.
Ms. Streisand’s post drew supportive replies from other Bluesky users, and it’s the latest in a long line of political jabs from the singer and actress, who has repeatedly criticized President Trump and Republican lawmakers over their handling of the pandemic.
Her defense of Dr. Fauci comes with its own history of scrutiny. Ms. Streisand’s production company, Barwood Films Ltd., received roughly $200,000 through two Paycheck Protection Program loans in 2020 and 2021 — loans designed primarily to help businesses retain employees and cover other eligible pandemic-era expenses — that were subsequently forgiven. According to a 2024 New York Post report, the groundskeeper at Ms. Streisand’s Malibu estate was a Barwood employee, and the Post reported some PPP funds went toward his compensation. A spokesman for Ms. Streisand disputed that taxpayer money paid the gardener.
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