By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board
Sen. Bernie Moreno asked former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci on Wednesday to turn around and look at Americans seated behind him who stood after Moreno asked whether they had been shamed, fired or otherwise harmed during the government response to COVID-19.
“All you have to do is look up from your lawyers and look at the people who were absolutely shamed for saying what we know now to be the truth,” the Ohio Republican said. “You can’t even look at them?”
Fauci did not turn toward the audience. He briefly turned only after his attorney tapped him on the shoulder, spoke with his attorney, then faced forward again.
Moreno then asked, “That’s a question. Are you able to look at them?”
Fauci replied, “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.”
Moreno later gave Fauci another opportunity.
“Will you apologize, just apologize, to the people who you harmed through your actions?” he asked.
Fauci invoked the Fifth again.
Former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on July 29, 2026.
Wednesday’s hearing renewed attention to school closures, distancing rules, business restrictions, government data and the origins of COVID-19.
After his opening statement, Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment instead of answering senators’ questions. But for RMV readers, it served as a reminder of a record that already exists. Over 11 installments published last year, the COvid Chronicles documented how pandemic policies reshaped life across Colorado.
Among the stories documented in the series was a Brighton father who was handcuffed and briefly detained after playing T-ball with his wife and young daughter in a park. The incident appears in The COvid Chronicles April 16–30: From tattletales to tyranny in just 14 days.
The series also documented the cost for Colorado families and businesses. Platte Floral office manager Vickie Shoptaugh described throwing away about $7,000 worth of flowers after customers disappeared. Glendale sous chef Brian Dicht said he “would literally be homeless” without his parents. And after C&C Coffee and Kitchen reopened for Mother’s Day, CDPHE revoked the Castle Rock restaurant’s license.
Then came the debate over the numbers.
After coroners and medical professionals objected to Colorado’s COVID-19 death classifications, the state began publishing separate totals for people who died with the virus and those whose deaths it attributed to COVID-19.
“If it’s a COVID death, it needs to be reported as a COVID death,” Montezuma County Coroner George Deavers said after an alcohol-poisoning death was included in the state count. “If it’s not a COVID death, it doesn’t need to be reported as a COVID death.”
Those stories were published in 2025 as a retrospective account of what happened in Colorado during 2020. Today’s testimony offers a timely reason to put the complete collection back in one place.
The complete COvid Chronicles
Introducing The COvid Chronicles: How fear and force reshaped Colorado
Why RMV launched the project and began reconstructing Colorado’s pandemic response.
COvid Chronicles April 1–15, 2020: Fifteen days that changed Colorado forever
Shutdown orders, closed schools and the first rapid expansion of government control.
The COvid Chronicles April 16–30: From tattletales to tyranny in just 14 days
Public shaming, park enforcement and extended school closures.
The COvid Chronicles May 1–7, 2020: Seven days that set the stage for open rebellion
Residents, sheriffs, churches and businesses began pushing back.
The COvid Chronicles May 8–15, 2020: C&C made headlines. Polis made an example. Colorado made up its mind.
A Castle Rock restaurant became a statewide flashpoint.
The COvid Chronicles May 16–23, 2020: Deaths dipped — but the definition got slippery
Coroners challenged death classifications as public skepticism grew.
COvid Chronicles May 24–31, 2020: When ‘peaceful protests’ overruled pandemic policy — and unleashed chaos
Pandemic rules collided with mass protests and riots.
The COvid Chronicles June 1–7, 2020: Struggle sessions and Stockholm syndrome rewrite the rules
Institutions changed course while restrictions continued elsewhere.
The COvid Chronicles June 8–15, 2020: Can’t visit grandma — but defund-the-police protests are doctor-approved
Hospital isolation continued as officials defended crowded demonstrations.
The COvid Chronicles June 16–23, 2020: Social justice got a platform — police got massive reform
Colorado reopened unevenly while lawmakers enacted sweeping changes.
The COvid Chronicles June 24–30, 2020: Statues fall, restrictions return — and kids get left behind
Improving medical outcomes competed with renewed restrictions and delayed school reopening.
Fauci’s refusal to answer did not settle the accusations aired in Washington. It did put the questions back before Americans who remember living with the policies and consequences recorded in this series.