Hawley's 'No Honest Person Pleads the Fifth' Post Backfires After Critics Cite Trump's 440+ Fifth Amendment Invocations

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) pressed Dr. Anthony Fauci during a Senate hearing on the origins of COVID-19, but the exchange shifted online after Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment while testifying.

Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he was invoking his right against self-incrimination because repeated public attacks — including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s calls to put him “behind bars” and other slanderous comments — would lead “any reasonable person” to the same conclusion.

Hawley later posted a clip of the exchange to social media with the caption: "Hint for you: no honest person pleads the Fifth." The post was intended to cast doubt on Fauci’s credibility, but many users quickly turned the message back on Hawley.

Why the Post Backfired

Critics pointed out that former President Donald Trump invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 440 times during a 2022 deposition in the New York attorney general’s fraud investigation into his business practices. Observers also resurfaced a 2016 Trump rally remark criticizing the use of the Fifth Amendment:

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

Users on X (formerly Twitter) compiled montages and reposted the earlier quote and the deposition details to highlight what they saw as an inconsistency between Hawley’s admonition and his party’s recent history.

Online Reaction And Broader Context

Responses ranged from mocking Hawley to noting the political double standard: some commentators suggested Hawley’s line implicitly cast doubt on Trump under his own rule, while others defended Fauci’s decision as a legal protection against politically motivated attacks.

Legal experts and commentators reminded readers that invoking the Fifth Amendment is a constitutional right and not, by itself, a legal admission of guilt. The episode reignited public debate over the political use of legal rights and how public figures are judged when they invoke them.

Bottom line: Hawley’s social media move aimed to score politically but instead prompted widespread pushback as critics pointed to high-profile examples — notably Trump’s deposition — that complicated Hawley’s message.