EXCLUSIVE: The Senate investigation into former Special Counsel Jack Smith's "Arctic Frost" probe is widening, as Republican lawmakers question Verizon’s handling of subpoenas for senators’ phone records after the telecom giant failed to disclose one during an earlier congressional records search.

As part of Operation Arctic Frost — the codename for the FBI's Trump-election-interference probe with Smith placed at the helm — prosecutors subpoenaed Verizon and other phone carriers for toll records tied to members of Congress and other Republican figures. Several conservative entities were swept up in the probe, including the late Charlie Kirk.

Verizon later acknowledged omitting Smith's subpoena from its congressional record search.

The dispute centers less on Verizon's compliance with the subpoena than on what the company knew afterward, whether it should have notified Congress and why it failed to disclose the subpoena during an earlier records search.

BIDEN SPECIAL COUNSEL’S 'RUNAWAY TRAIN’ SCOOPED UP SENSITIVE LAWMAKER INFO: 'ABUSE OF POWER'

Smith’s investigation has faced increased scrutiny in recent months, and now Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa — whose records were among those obtained — and a slew of his colleagues want to know what Verizon knew, when it knew it and whether the company should have notified affected members of Congress after turning over their phone records to Smith's team.

"Jack Smith oversaw a sweeping and unprecedented investigation that swept-up records from hundreds of Republican entities, including the phone toll records and text messages from myself and dozens of my colleagues," Grassley told Fox News Digital Friday.

Toll records are essentially the metadata of a telephone call — and exclude the contents of the conversation. They often include the phone numbers involved, date, time, duration and often the operative cell-tower location.

MAJOR PHONE CARRIERS REVEAL JACK SMITH’S SUBPOENAS FOR REPUBLICAN SENATORS’ RECORDS

"Congress deserves to know the full picture of how Smith carried out Arctic Frost so it never happens again."

"As part of our investigation, we need to fully understand what Verizon knew about Smith’s subpoenas, when they became aware members were impacted and why the company didn’t inform members like they were supposed to," he said.

In a Thursday letter to Verizon CEO Daniel Schulman, Grassley, Senate Investigations Subcommittee chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and more than a dozen senators said they remain concerned not only by the alleged "abuse of power by federal government actors… but also with Verizon’s disclosures of (m)embers’ phone records pursuant to a May 25, 2023, subpoena (and) its failure to disclose this information to affected Members."

JACK SMITH THRUST BACK INTO SPOTLIGHT AT BLANCHE HEARING OVER EXPOSED SENATORS’ MESSAGES'

Of the signatories, Sens. Bill Hagerty IV and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Mike Lee, R-Utah, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Josh Hawley, R-Mo., John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., also had their phone toll records or text messages swept up by Smith.

Their inquiry noted he asked Verizon in October 2023 to identify Justice Department or other federal law enforcement requests involving Senate devices used by his staff dating back to 2016.

The senator wrote that the subpoena was not disclosed in Verizon's initial response, and Grassley said Congress did not learn of it until Verizon acknowledged in 2025 that "human error" had caused its omission.

In its original October 2023 response to Grassley, Verizon wrote that it often limits retention of legal processes received to a period of four years, and attested it had no records to produce prior to October 2019.

"This raises questions as to whether Verizon discovered legal process from DOJ for Senate devices and lines, including the May 2023 Arctic Frost subpoena, in its search from October 1, 2019, to October 27, 2023, for responsive records to Chairman Grassley’s request," Grassley wrote in his new letter.

Therefore, Grassley and 15 other senators are demanding Verizon brass explain when they first learned Smith’s subpoena sought phone records that included members of Congress and when they discovered it had provided "tolling data" connected to those members and transmitted it to Smith.

Fox News Digital reached out to Verizon for comment.

Grassley’s new letter suggests the October 2023 exchange may be the key to determining whether Verizon merely missed the subpoena or discovered it and failed to disclose it.

"On what date were Daniel Schulman, Vandana Venkatesh, Hans Vestberg, and Craig Silliman first informed about the May 25, 2023, subpoena?" they asked of Verizon’s front office.

The senators also asked that Verizon explain its "human error" revelation in more specificity and produce internal records from May 2023 to October 2025 that discuss whether the company believed it was obligated to notify the implicated members of Congress or the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (SAA).

The "human error" explanation also left unanswered why Smith’s May 25, 2023, "Arctic Frost" subpoena was omitted from Verizon's review of legal process involving SAA phone lines, even though the company acknowledged that two SAA numbers were included in the subpoena.

In 2025, documents provided to Grassley revealed Verizon complied with Smith while AT&T resisted the requests.

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However, both subpoenas were accompanied by gag orders signed by Obama-appointed District of Columbia federal Judge James Boasberg, a frequent foil of President Donald Trump’s. Boasberg directed Verizon and AT&T not to disclose the subpoenas to lawmakers for a period of one year.

The DOJ has issued subpoenas for lawmakers' information in the past, but former inspector general Michael Horowitz cautioned against it except in limited circumstances in a report published in 2025, saying that doing so "risks chilling Congress’s ability to conduct oversight of the executive branch."

Grassley’s letter gives Verizon until Aug. 13 to explain when it knew senators’ records were involved, who inside the company was informed and why the May 2023 subpoena did not surface in its earlier response to Congress.

Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans have branded Smith's "Arctic Frost" as "worse than Watergate."

Fox News Digital reached out to counsel for Smith for comment.

TUCSON, Ariz. — The Pima County Sheriff's Department released a pair of ransom notes Friday in the hope that someone can identify the author due to similarities between them that indicate they were written by the same person, who authorities said used a "unique linguistic style."

Authorities have not yet confirmed that the notes are authentic, but Guthrie's daughter, "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, has said she believes they may be — and investigators haven't ruled them out either.

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They were sent on Feb. 2 and Feb. 6.

NEW DETAILS FROM NANCY GUTHRIE RANSOM DEMAND REVEALED, 'HER LIFE IS IN YOUR HANDS': REPORT

According to the sheriff's department, the two notes share a "unique linguistic style" and are believed to have been sent by the same person.

The style is so distinct, that someone may be able to recognize the writer, authorities said.

The notes included references to the crime scene that may not have been public at the time they were sent — including details about the location of Guthrie's Apple Watch and the smashed floodlight in her backyard.

Fox News Digital first learned about the watch on the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 3. According to authorities, the note had been sent the day before, on Monday, Feb. 2, indicating the sender knew about it before the information began to seep out into the public sphere.

"He knew about the watch on the floor — almost nobody did," said Jason Pack, a retired FBI negotiator who has been following the case closely. 

However, he added, that shows knowledge of the house, not knowledge specific to Guthrie or proof of life. 

"In my view, two things the language does support: He writes like a native English speaker. The idiom and the small connecting words are all in the right places, and at this length that is hard to fake," Pack added. "And he writes like someone who spends his day sending business email. Money in the amount of. Payment that will need to be paid by. Wanting to have this completed. That is office language."

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The sheriff's department is also formally acknowledging that Nest video from Guthrie’s front steps may show the masked intruder on two separate days. 

But they’re still asking for the public’s help identifying him — asking if anyone in the area has seen someone whose behavior changed, including by becoming nervous or anxious after the video came out on Feb. 10, or if they altered their physically appearance, left town, gave their car a deep clean or showed other uncharacteristic changes in behavior.

Anyone with information is asked to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI or, to remain anonymous, call 520-88-CRIME.

The sum of all rewards in the case is over $1.2 million. The money remains unclaimed as of Friday, a day before the six-month mark since Guthrie's kidnapping.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE'S EMOTIONAL PLEA TO MOM'S KIDNAPPER MAY SIGNAL 'NEW LINE OF COMMUNICATION': REPORT

This is a breaking news story.

Shark sightings are common each summer from coast to coast — and though attacks are rare, they do happen.

In August, shark activity begins to ramp up as they migrate and feed along the way, often bringing different species close to shore, according to experts.

Dr. Chris Lowe, professor of marine biology and director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), confirmed there has been an increase in white shark activity so far this year.

SHARK SIGHTINGS SPIKE NEAR AMERICA'S BEACHES AS JULY 4 CROWDS HEAD TO SHORE FOR WEEKEND

"We expect by August, September or October to see even more sharks off the Southern California coast," he told Fox News Digital.

Wyatt Wernath, national spokesperson for the American Lifeguard Association and a retired ocean rescue chief based in Cocoa Beach, Florida, said they've seen typical numbers for this time of year, although there have been "a couple little nibbles" where people were "bit on the heels or the toes."

For those swimming or surfing in the ocean, the experts shared the following six tips to avoid a dangerous shark encounter.

Before visiting a new beach, experts advise locating lifeguards and checking for shark sightings, rip currents, jellyfish and other hazards.

10-FOOT GREAT WHITE SHARK SPOTTED SWIMMING DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO YOUNG PEOPLE

It's important to recognize and understand the flag systems on the beach that can signal certain conditions, Wernath noted. Red flags typically indicate high hazard, yellow flags mean heed caution and green flags mean low hazard.

A purple or blue flag indicates the presence of marine life. Combination red and blue flags signal hazardous marine life, such as a shark or dangerous jellyfish.

"If you can prepare yourself by knowing before you go, you’re going to have a much safer and enjoyable vacation or trip to the open water where the sharks live," Wernath said.

Other suspicious animal activity in the water — such as fish, birds and even seals — could mean a shark is nearby.

"If you see the water percolating on the top, that's the fish running from the predators," Wernath said. "Don't go in the water, get out of the water."

SHARK WEEK SHOCKER AS GREAT WHITE BREACHES JUST YARDS FROM OBLIVIOUS BOOGIE BOARDER

"If you see birds diving into the water, and they're feeding kind of erratically, don't go into the water."

Lowe, who runs the California Shark Beach Safety Program, also recommends avoiding dead marine life that could attract sharks.

"If you're out on your surfboard and a seal climbs on your board, that seal isn't trying to bond with you. It's probably trying to get out of the water because it knows there's a big shark around," he said.

SHARK WEEK PUTS SHARK BITE SURVIVAL IN FOCUS WITH ER DOC'S EXPERT TIPS

Avoid bait balls, which are dense schools of fish targeted by predators, Lowe advised. If one forms beneath your surfboard, move away to avoid an approaching shark.

While some "toe nibblers" in Florida have been known to attack on the shoreline, deep-water predators pose a risk as well, the experts warned.

California has about three shark bites per year and a fatality about every third year, according to Lowe — but numbers change as the population increases and more people seek out offshore recreation.

"When people start going out into the open ocean ... they may be encountering shark species that haven't been around people before," he said. "And therefore, you're a novelty."

Ocean spear fishing and kayak fishing are examples of "risky" excursions that have gained popularity in the last few decades, Lowe noted.

"Not only do you have a bloody fish on the end of your spear, but you're out around sharks that might not have been around people before," he said. "So, we just don't know how those sharks will react."

SHARK WEEK FANS MAY WANT TO THINK TWICE BEFORE EATING THIS OCEAN PREDATOR, EXPERTS WARN

"If you're kayak fishing, and you've got your legs in the water, and you’ve got a bloody fish, your leg could get mistaken by an excited shark trying to steal your fish."

When diving or snorkeling, it’s important not to present yourself "as prey," Wernath warned.

Dawn and dusk are peak feeding times for many sharks, increasing the risk of encounters.

Because sharks can mistake people for prey, Lowe recommends avoiding murky water and shiny jewelry that can mimic fish scales.

The chances of being bitten are statistically lower when swimming in a group than alone, Lowe said — and if trouble arises, others are there to help.

During a close encounter, it's important to confirm that the animal is actually a shark, as dolphin and stingray fins can look similar in the water.

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Unlike dolphins and stingrays, which typically show a single fin before disappearing underwater, sharks often reveal both their dorsal and tail fins.

"Tail fins will be moving more in a sweeping motion," Wernath said. "It won't go under gradually like a submarine. It won't arc like a dolphin in a rolling fashion."

If a shark is identified, give it space and calmly exit the water.

"Don't splash, don't cause a commotion, which will attract the shark, but just get out," Lowe said. "If you're on a surfboard or a boogie board, try to pull yourself up onto it, and just don't present yourself as prey."

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"If you see the shark, always keep your eyes on it," he advised. "Follow it, track it, let the shark know you see it, turn your body toward it."

"If the shark comes closer, you can just slowly back up and keep watching it. If you lose track of it, the first place you should always look is behind you."

A shark approaching from behind is usually trying to investigate without being noticed. Once it realizes it has been spotted, however, "most of the time, the gig is up," Lowe said.

If it continues to approach, he recommends giving it "a good bop in the nose" to discourage it from coming closer.

"If the shark gets really close, I'm always an advocate of striking out at them. I think humans need to let sharks know that they're not supposed to get close to us," he added.

Experts say the key to safely coexisting with sharks is respecting their habitat and behavior while avoiding actions that could make people appear to be prey.

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"They're much more intelligent than we give them credit for," Wernath said, noting that they carefully assess potential prey before attacking. "They’re hunters. They're going to look around and make sure they can get to a prey without getting hurt."

The biggest misconception about sharks is that if they’re nearby, they’re going to bite you, Lowe said, adding that research proves this "simply isn't true."

Although human and shark populations have grown thanks to conservation efforts, shark bites haven't increased as expected.

"They might occasionally bite a person, but we don't really know why," Lowe went on. "We don't know if they're biting because they mistake us as food ... [or] because they feel we're a threat."

"Based on our last six years of data using drones, we see white sharks around people pretty much every day, and they seem to largely ignore people," he added. "What that clearly tells me is that humans are not on any shark's menu."

"Stick with the science and never veer from that, even when the science turns out to be an inconvenient truth for somebody." 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, then director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, delivered those words to Georgetown students in 2017 as the touchstone of medical ethics.

On Wednesday, before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Fauci replaced that line by repeatedly saying, "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution."

FAUCI PLEADS FIFTH WITH 'ZERO LEGAL JUSTIFICATION' AS CRITICS ERUPT AND DEMAND CONTEMPT CHARGES

The optics could not have been worse, but what you saw depended largely on how you viewed the hearing. For critics, Fauci sounded like Crazy Joe Gallo without the sunglasses. 

For supporters, Fauci is still a hero who refused to fall into a trap laid for him. Democratic senators such as Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., actually praised Fauci for refusing to answer questions before Congress.

There is no question that it is Fauci's right to invoke his privilege against self-incrimination, and many advised him to do so. The privilege can be invoked for strategic reasons separate from any criminal culpability. After all, he was given a last-minute pardon by President Joe Biden, and any false statements he made before the committee could be used to bring criminal charges against him.

However, Fauci is unlike many who have invoked the privilege. Unlike many past witnesses who have invoked it, Fauci has testified for days in countless prior hearings. He also has appeared in countless interviews on these issues. He had reason to fear this hearing after his diary revealed startling contradictions between his private observations and his public statements.

The question many will ask is why Fauci could not just "stick with the science" and resolve these contradictions. The fact is that he would have had difficulty dealing with his own "inconvenient truths."

FAUCI PRIVATELY TOOK CREDIT FOR COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS DESPITE PUBLIC DENIAL, NEWLY EXPOSED DIARY ENTRIES REVEAL

Fauci's opening statement expressed obvious anger over the release of his "unredacted diary."

The new evidence shows that Fauci connected the Wuhan lab to the emerging crisis before most people had ever heard of the lab. It also shows him repeatedly referencing the lab's gain-of-function work and discounting the "wet market" as the true origin of the virus, viewing it instead as an "amplifier."

Some of the most embarrassing areas for Fauci concerned his entries acknowledging that he pushed to close schools despite public denials that he ever recommended such closures. His entries take credit for convincing figures such as then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, the staff of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and others to close schools.

FAUCI'S DIARY SHOWS HE FED QUESTIONS TO JOURNALISTS, BUILT FRIENDSHIPS WITH MEDIA FIGURES

In an Oct. 16, 2022, ABC interview, Fauci repeated that denial, saying, "They always come back and say, 'Fauci was responsible for shutting schools down.' I had nothing to do [with it]!"

The media has also taken the Fifth on these subjects, declining to publish many of these contradictions. Media outlets have the same reason as Fauci. There is no spin that would reconcile their own prior coverage and gushing reviews of Fauci. The diary entries also show disturbing references to private meetings with media figures.

Fauci's diary refers to CNN anchor Jake Tapper 41 times. In some entries, Fauci suggested that the host was concerned about crafting an interview to better serve Fauci.

"Jake wanted to make sure the interview did not cause me any problems," the diary says.

Fauci also related how he met socially with Tapper in July 2020: "Had dinner at Jake Tapper and Jen Tapper’s home in DC. Terrific couple. Friendship building." Notably, on Oct. 14, 2020, CNN published a report warning about the dangers of "small household gatherings."

The diary revealed an obsession with his publicity and access to celebrities. It is replete with Fauci’s gushing accounts of himself, such as, "It is not hyoperbole [sic] to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable peson [sic] in the world."

The fact is that diaries tend to be self-obsessed, and no one would want their unvarnished private thoughts made public. Rather, my gripe with these passages is one I have previously raised in criticism of Fauci. During this period, dissenting scientists were barred from social media, removed from positions and vilified for expressing views despite now being vindicated on subjects ranging from the lab origin of the virus to the efficacy of masks, the 6-foot rule, natural immunity and school closures.

As these courageous scientists were being abused by academic and media figures who still hold their positions, Fauci said not a word in their defense despite privately acknowledging that they could be right.

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Yet Fauci remained silent as his allies in the media savaged those who voiced the view that the virus was man-made and escaped from the lab.

In 2021, New York Times science and health reporter Apoorva Mandavilli was still calling on reporters not to mention the "racist" lab theory. Federal agencies found the lab theory to be the most credible despite Fauci's public claim that a natural origin was the most likely explanation.

Fauci stayed silent while relishing his celebrity status. Indeed, his diary shows no concern for these scientists as he breathlessly recounts his bobbleheads and cover shoots.

Once again, Fauci has every right to invoke his constitutional rights, but the public has every right to demand answers to these questions related to the deaths of approximately 1.2 million to 1.25 million Americans. That may result in a grant of immunity to compel him to answer them.

If there is any solace to Fauci, he will clearly be able to maintain that he is "the most famous and talked about person in the country."

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DETROIT — As high-tax, progressive-led cities continue to bleed residents nationwide, locals and policy experts in Detroit are offering contrasting visions for the Motor City’s future, with some eyeing radical free market reforms to attract those fleeing the East and West coasts.

High state and local taxes, lingering crime concerns and an astronomical cost of living continue to drive taxpayer flight out of blue strongholds like New York, Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles. 

According to a study by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF), taxpayers are consistently abandoning high-tax environments for fiscally friendly states. 

While Texas and Florida remain primary destinations, Sunbelt states like North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee are seeing record population gains.

BLUE-STATE TAX BURDEN FUELS AMERICANS FLEEING TO REPUBLICAN-LED SOUTHERN STATES

For many moving away from major metros, the decision comes down to basic math.

"Cost of living is probably a huge reason for it. Those cities are some of the most expensive in the country," Ferndale resident Andy Femminineo told Fox News Digital Monday.

Femminineo, who grew up in the Detroit suburbs and works downtown, noted that even high-earning tech workers are being priced out of coastal hubs.

"A lot of those people are showing up here in Detroit," he said. "The cost of living [on the coasts] is outstripping the tech talent they have there, which is ridiculous. I mean, it's humongous talent and income there, and you still can't afford to live."

Floyd Brantley, a born-and-raised Detroiter, sees the population shifts as part of a historical cycle for major urban centers.

"I think it's a nationwide trend, and what a lot of people don't realize is that cities are cyclical anyway," Brantley said. "This isn't the first upward swing that Detroit has been on. We've been up and down a few times. New York's been up and down a few times, Chicago … LA is losing a lot of people going to Texas."

DETROIT DEVELOPER CITES 'SUBSTANTIAL TAXES' AS REASON BIG BLUE CITIES LIKE NYC ARE IN TROUBLE

Former Detroit Planning Director Antoine Bryant echoed those sentiments, noting that the South and Midwest offer economic relief that coastal markets simply cannot match.

"The South in general has been growing tremendously," Bryant told Fox News Digital. "South Carolina has won, there's been tremendous growth in Texas as well and you're seeing that along the coast because the income disparity isn't as vast as it is on the East and West coasts."

Bryant, who has lived in Detroit since 2021, expects the city to expand over the coming decade. "Many demographers and planners I talk to say there's real opportunity here in the Midwest," he added.

Other locals highlighted the permanent impact of remote work on traditional urban centers.

"People aren't working in the office buildings anymore, so they don't need to be centralized in major cities," said Allen Park resident Ashli Genaw, pointing to how flexible work policies allowed workers to leave New York and California.

While local residents remain hopeful about Detroit’s organic momentum, conservative policy thinkers argue that bolder action is required to capture fleeing taxpayers.

Rodney Lockwood, a board member at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, believes major cities reliant on heavy tax bases are headed for trouble unless they embrace aggressive free-market alternatives.

"Right now, socialists are on the march, and perhaps [New York State Assemblymember] Zohran Mamdani is the best example of that. They're winning races, and their answer is always more taxes and more free stuff," Lockwood told Fox News Digital. "We have to look at both sides: what is not working, and then what will work."

DAVID MARCUS: IN BOOMING DETROIT, VOTERS SKEPTICAL OF SOCIALISM SNAKE OIL

Lockwood’s proposal? Convert Detroit’s iconic Belle Isle Park into an independent, free-enterprise "Freedom City" designed to compete directly with high-tax blue hubs.

Developed in the late 19th century, Belle Isle is a 982-acre island park on the Detroit River making it larger than New York City's Central Park. Under Lockwood’s vision, private investors would purchase the island from the city to build a mixed-use housing, entertainment and commercial district structured as a special economic zone. The plan aims to accommodate 50,000 residents across 20,000 households without relying on public tax dollars.

"Detroit is stuck. Its population is not increasing fast enough, and it faces a potential fiscal cliff as federal COVID-relief money runs out," Lockwood argued.

However, the idea of privatizing Detroit’s prized public park met sharp resistance from several locals in the downtown area.

"Horrible idea," said Tanya Clark, a native Detroiter. "We need more public spaces throughout the city, not fewer. Other places might want that, but it's not a Detroit thing."

Others were more open to the ambitious concept.

"I think that’d be amazing," said Alonte Banks, a student living in downtown Detroit. "I’m pretty sure I’d move down there."

What was billed as a battle of wits between Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Dr. Anthony Fauci, with the lawmaker determined to uncover the former COVID-19 explainer-in-chief’s motivations during the pandemic, became a one-sided affair in the Senate.

Paul has for years sought to uncover Fauci’s alleged role in funding "risky" research in China that Republicans say sparked the pandemic in 2020. He has argued that Fauci should be thrown in prison, and that the former chief medical advisor to the president’s pardon from former President Joe Biden wouldn’t hold up.

But the highly anticipated back and forth, which was further stoked by Paul dumping over 1,000 pages of Fauci’s diary online before the hearing, didn’t go exactly as planned.

The hearing kicked off with an impassioned opening statement from Paul, who accused Fauci and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of funding gain-of-function research for years, misleading Congress and destroying records, which he contended created a fracture in public trust over the nation’s COVID-19 response.

"That loss of trust may be your most damaging legacy," Paul said. "Trust can't be ordered. It has to be earned. No scientist is above scrutiny. No government official beyond accountability, and no public servant preferred version of history."

RAND PAUL SEEKS CONTEMPT CHARGES AFTER FAUCI INVOKES FIFTH AMENDMENT MORE THAN 100 TIMES

But Fauci, under guidance from his lawyers, opted against answering any questions from Paul or others on the committee.

He argued that Paul's "obvious obsession" with pushing for his prosecution, levying allegations against him, and dumping his unredacted diary was designed 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."

"Although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government, and my decades-long record of cooperating with Congress under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions," Fauci said.

It wasn’t long after Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment that tensions flared in the hearing.

After being repeatedly asked questions, and repeatedly turning to his constitutional shield, Paul declared that as chair of the committee, he was denying Fauci’s right to invoke the Fifth Amendment.

"It's against the law to obstruct an investigation of Congress," Paul said. "There will be repercussions to your refusal to testify today."

WATCH: RAND PAUL SAYS THERE'S ONE THING AMERICANS HAVE NEVER HEARD FROM FAUCI

Then Fauci’s lawyer, David Schertler, spoke up to remind Paul it was Fauci’s constitutional right to turn to the Fifth Amendment.

Paul reminded Schertler that neither he, nor the "half dozen" lawyers with Fauci were recognized by the committee. That prompted Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the top Democrat on the panel, to push for Schertler to speak.

But Paul was not having it.

"This is the way Anthony Fauci wants to be remembered — for a lawyer not listening to the rules," Paul said. "That's the way you want to be remembered, and that's what you're going to do. You are not recognized, sir. Security, please remove him from the room."

The hearing chugged along at roughly the same pace — lawmakers would ask Fauci a question, then he would invoke the Fifth Amendment.

But that didn’t stop some on the panel from getting frustrated at his lack of forthrightness.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, noted that Schertler was a well-known lawyer who previously represented former Sen. Bob Menendez, who was sentenced for accepting gold bars and bribes in exchange for using his influence to benefit the Egyptian government.

WATCH: RAND PAUL SAYS FAUCI LOBBIED FOR $1M PRIZE WHILE LEADING COVID RESPONSE

"And there's an article here in the Washington Free Beacon that talks about why you would hire a guy like David Schertler. And the comment is, if you're in deep s---, that's who you call," Moreno said. "Do you feel like you're in deep s---?"

Fauci again declined to answer, which prompted a frustrated Moreno to tell him that his influence over policy during the pandemic in 2020 and the effect that it had on Americans pushed him to run for the Senate.

"Here I am sitting in front of you six years later saying, ‘Who the f— do you think you were for doing that? It is a total disgrace what you did to this country,’" Moreno said.

As the hearing wound down, Paul revisited his threat to hold Fauci accountable for declining to answer questions.

Paul announced that he would seek contempt charges against Fauci after he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and teed up a vote in committee for next week.

"We're going to have a vote next week on contempt," Paul said. "I think there's another legal question that the courts may have to decide upon, and that is whether or not a presidential pardon offers you complete immunity."

Fauci never answered a question from any lawmaker on either side of the aisle, sticking to the advice from his lawyers to invoke the Fifth Amendment to protect himself from self-incrimination.

Before the hearing started, Paul and his staff were confident that Fauci wouldn't try to invoke the Fifth Amendment.

So confident, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital, that several questions were prepared ahead of time, and members of the committee were told to come prepared.

In all, Fauci wound up uttering the same phrase 111 times: "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution."

Willie Nelson urged Americans to think again when it comes to building the future.

Nelson, 93, encouraged followers to "fight against data centers invading our land" in a social media plea shared Tuesday.

The country music legend reflected on being able to see "stars at night" in his Texas hometown, but that light pollution and "water thieving" were imminent in a looming industrial climate.

KACEY MUSGRAVES ABRUPTLY CANCELS CONCERT DATES FROM 'MIDDLE OF NOWHERE' TOUR

"I grew up in Abbott, and I still have a home there with farmed land where I can still see stars at night," Nelson told his followers.

"And now our community, like many others, needs to fight against data centers invading our land.

SINGER ZACH TOP SLAMS MODERN COUNTRY MUSIC, SAYS IT LACKS 'SOUL'

"The last thing we need is a loud, water thieving, light polluting, data center anywhere near our town (or any others for that matter)."

The "On the Road Again" singer noted how "the strength of rural America has never come from big industrial footprints."

"It comes from generations of people, open spaces, local businesses, and a connection to the land," Nelson wrote. "All of America deserves thoughtful stewardship that doesn’t steal farmland (where our essential shared-food is grown) and small family farmers’ livelihoods, and not data centers that only destroy the environment around them.

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"Whoever controls food and water, controls the masses. Let’s not allow our own demise or give up control over necessary resources in the U.S. and especially in Abbott."

Nelson's a longtime environmental advocate and has raised more than $90 million through his Farm Aid nonprofit, which he co-founded with John Mellencamp and Neil Young more than four decades ago.

The charity was first formed in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on the land.

On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott called for a ban on data center developments in rural Texas.

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"We must prohibit them from building AI data centers in rural Texas neighborhoods," he said on a campaign stop in Bullard, according to The Texas Tribune.

"I made clear already: Any AI data center even thinking about coming here — they got to bring their own money, bring their own power, reuse their own water and do it in a way that reduces the cost of electricity for residents across our state.

"We must eliminate the tax break they are getting. They must be responsible for funding their own projects here in Texas. We will get that done."