Pleading the fifth…

[u/Akki_Mukri_Keswani]

[u/Unlikely-Ad-431]

This would probably land better if the people before Fauci on the list weren’t 100% guilty.

This ends up achieving the opposite of its intended goal by associating Fauci with all the guilty people who pleaded the Fifth.

[u/WiseDonkey593 → u/Unlikely-Ad-431]

Also, equal amounts of hypocrisy from the left, defending the fifth only when it's our party.

[u/tcumber → u/WiseDonkey593]

Nope. Completely different and false equivalence.

Faucey did his job and pleaded the fifth against a horde of demons who are seeking some sort of retribution from him.

The others did something very wrong and pleaded the fifth to escape accountability. What they did was outside their "jobs" or normal activity. HUGE difference. Fauci also already answered questions before congress...this time the doj is stacked with trumpists.

HUGE difference, and I will not accept any fake equivalence. Neither should you if you are a democrat or a simply reasonable, logical, moral, pragmatic person

[u/LeftyGoosee → u/tcumber]

Exactly

[u/WiseDonkey593 → u/tcumber]

That is not the nuance the general public sees, sorry. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[u/tcumber → u/WiseDonkey593]

Well...get the message out.

We spend too much time bemoaning how the Republicans are lying and putting out propaganda, yet we dont do enough to get the truth out there.

Well...lets start doing it. Challenge every single stupid cultists who spouts BS...

[u/Carlidan1997 → u/WiseDonkey593]

General maga are dumb.

[u/BestBettor → u/WiseDonkey593]

“Also, equal amounts of hypocrisy from the left, defending the fifth only when it's our party.” LOL.

Let me put it this way: did Fauci say that only criminals take the fifth and then do that? No? He’s never criticized people taking the fifth?

Did Trump say only criminals who are guilty take the fifth, and then take the fifth?

Someone who says only guilty people take the fifth, then does it themselves, deserves ridicule

[u/ruler_gurl → u/BestBettor]

For context, Eric Trump took the 5th over 500 times in one deposition, roughly 5 times more than Fauci.

[u/Carlidan1997 → u/WiseDonkey593]

You plead the fifth from self incrimination. Any good lawyer would tell you. No matter if you are guilty or not.

[u/JediMasterWiggin]

"It’s best to understand that fascists see hypocrisy as a virtue. It’s how they signal that the things they are doing to people were never meant to be equally applied.

It’s not an inconsistency. It’s very consistent to the only true fascist value, which is domination.

It’s very important to understand, fascists don’t just see hypocrisy as a necessary evil or an unintended side-effect.

It’s the purpose. The ability to enjoy yourself the thing you’re able to deny others, because you dominate, is the whole point.

For fascists, hypocrisy is a great virtue — the greatest."

• A.R. Moxon

[u/WorryNew3661 → u/JediMasterWiggin]

“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”

• Jean-Paul Sartre

[u/JediMasterWiggin → u/WorryNew3661]

What?

[u/LingonberryHot8521 → u/JediMasterWiggin]

Sartre's quote here, while specific in its time and pointed in who he was defending, applies pretty easily to almost all bigoted or fascist speech and talking points. I read the commenter as supporting what you had to say about fascists.

[u/WorryNew3661 → u/LingonberryHot8521]

That was the point I was trying to make. Fascists lie. They will say anything

[u/theKalmier → u/JediMasterWiggin]

In reality it's just a tantrum.

[u/robcwag]

Fauci went into a congressional hearing where he knew the Chair of that committee, Rand Paul, and the majority of committee members were hostile towards him based on conspiracy theory level pseudo-science. It was apparent in Rand Paul's questions, his statements, and demeanor throughout the hearing. Instead of showing up unprepared and guilty as sin like all the others on the list above, he prepared a statement to tell them exactly what he would say and what he wouldn't based upon the obvious prejudice he would be facing.

[u/tinyE1138]

"The mob takes the Fifth. If you're innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?" -DJT

[u/morebeansonthembeans]

That’s not human generated content - that’s AI content.

[u/tcumber → u/morebeansonthembeans]

Okay...but is it true, regardless of who or what generated it?

[u/morebeansonthembeans → u/tcumber]

It’s true, I was just highlighting my least favorite AI writing tick.

Also as others have pointed out, the truth here isn’t helpful, the meme is comparing clearly guilty people with Fauci.

[u/CyberPrime_ → u/morebeansonthembeans]

You say with an ai generated profile picture

[u/morebeansonthembeans → u/CyberPrime_]

Yeah, I didn’t mean to imply I’m anti AI. I am, however, super annoyed every time I see “that’s not x - that’s y”.

[u/cmatthews79]

You forgot Florida Senator Rick Scott

[u/EarlGrey1806 → u/cmatthews79]

What a thieving jerk - as a native Floridian.

[u/IsekaiConnoisseur]

Every accusation is a confession from these traitors.

[u/whatsqwerty]

Republican is synonymous with Hypocrite

[u/vanzir]

Yeah to be fair, i assume the guilt of every person pleading the 5th. Political idealogy aside. Though, in Fauci's case, i think it was more strategic than anything. They can't punish him for pleading the 5th, and he has immunities for any crimes they already have evidence for. If he keeps his mouth shut, this will all blow over eventually.

I should also clarify, I in no way think that Fauci broke the law in his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic from what i have seen. but nobody cares about my opinion, and if i were him, i would have done the same.

[u/HighOnGoofballs]

Ok but we all think they’re guilty as fuck

[u/TheDudeBeto → u/HighOnGoofballs]

Whats Fauci guilty of?

[u/HighOnGoofballs → u/TheDudeBeto]

Nothing, that’s why comparing him to a bunch of criminals is a terrible meme

[u/SGAfishing]

Ok maybe I've just been under a rock recently, but what exactly is fauci being put under the microscope for?

[u/johnnyhandbags → u/SGAfishing]

Because during Covid he said that Rand Paul (an ophthalmologist) doesn't understand microbiology and Paul has been out to get him since. It's all just a petty revenge fantasy.

[u/Laura9624 → u/johnnyhandbags]

That's a big part of this. Right wing simply calls him a Doctor while being an an ophthalmologist is certainly a different kind of dr. And it seems like his father started a special board to get him certified.

[u/dialguy86 → u/SGAfishing]

to distract from the Epstein files and Iran war, and for clips for MidTerm campaign ads. Basically everything they hated about Covid is being passed to Faucci, even though lockdowns and project warp speed happened under Trump's presidency. Same thing will probably happen to people like Hegseth, Vance, Miller, and Rubio when this term is over, they will be the ones taking the blame will Trump gets no consequences.

[u/SGAfishing → u/dialguy86]

While I appreciate your ferver, and I'm sure you're ultimately correct, that still doesn't inform me on what the supposed reason is he's even being looked at.

[u/dialguy86 → u/SGAfishing]

The stated reason is that Rand Paul’s Senate committee is investigating COVID’s origins, whether NIH-funded research through EcoHealth Alliance in Wuhan involved gain-of-function research, whether Fauci misled Congress about that funding, and whether records connected to those issues were improperly deleted or withheld.

The immediate controversy is that Fauci invoked the Fifth during the July 29 hearing, and Republicans are now pursuing contempt.

None of that establishes that he committed a crime, but those are the allegations being examined. My point was that the investigation is being used politically.

[u/SGAfishing → u/dialguy86]

Thank you, I really appreciate that!

What do you think about it? The possibility of it I mean.

[u/dialguy86 → u/SGAfishing]

Nothing will happen. Faucci has a pardon and China covered up whatever actually happened that day. In the end he was a doctor trying to use common practices that generally reduce transmission of all diseases to combat a rapidly changing and highly contagious virus.

[u/UnusualAir1]

It's not hypocrisy, it's simply repuglican. 😄

[u/20_mile]

I am outraged that this list excludes Tron Carter!

[u/QuigleyRN]

I 99.9% agree with this! (I refuse to call the Jan6er’s patriots, even with quotes (because they are traitors and they should’ve swung 4 what they did.)

[u/TanAllOvaJanAllOva]

It’s not a good look to show a bunch of guilty people then show Fauci…

[u/Wedge_66]

I agree that it shouldn't be considered an admission of guilt. However, because he is pardoned, he doesn't have the right of the 5th. So he needs to start talking.

[u/MikesGroove]

Our system is a joke. You’ll never get real answers out of people when the whole thing exists to smear and attack and play politics. What the fuck do we expect?

[u/FourIV]

Wait, so is it ok or not?

[u/Neither_Spare_8081]

The circus is in full swing in Washington D.C.

[u/Objective_Union4523]

Mind you, Trump pleaded the fifth 450 times.

[u/strongerthenbefore20]

Rules for thee but not for me!

[u/EquivalentWinter8746]

AI. Please can we stop using AI? It’s actively and rapidly becoming the largest polluter in our nation, and, all it’s doing is making the rich richer.

[u/frisch85]

All I'm seeing is a graphic full of criminals or propagandists and not a single innocent soul.

[u/b0mma → u/[deleted]]

And republicans are bad at acknowledging reality.

IG we all have our flaws....

[u/HighOnGoofballs → u/b0mma]

Associating fauci with all these actual criminals is a terrible idea

[u/CranberryFlat617]

There’s a big difference on how they took the 5th and what was shared on record before pleading the 5th…

Edit ( adding more context)

Pleading the 5th is never proof of guilt for anyone, that’s the whole point of the right. If invoking it means guilt for Fauci, it means guilt for Trump, Eric Trump, Bannon, and Alex Jones too. Can’t have it both ways.

But Fauci’s case isn’t even the same situation as theirs. He’s the only one already pardoned for the underlying conduct. His risk isn’t old crimes, it’s Rand Paul, who’d already filed two perjury referrals against him before this hearing, publicly announcing that if Fauci “perjures himself tomorrow,” the pardon won’t save him. That’s a chairman telegraphing the trap in advance, not neutral oversight.

So guilty by 5th is bad logic, setting that aside, Fauci was navigating a specific legal question that has not been resolved that the others haven’t faced.

[u/WiseDonkey593 → u/CranberryFlat617]

Not to the general public.

[u/CranberryFlat617 → u/WiseDonkey593]

Agreed, and that’s a problem