Dr. Anthony Fauci is only the latest public figure to be accused of lying to Congress. Pictured: Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks May 26 during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. (Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)
Prosecutions for lying to Congress are rare, much less convictions, but some cases have been high profile.
The issue is in the news because Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has asked the Justice Department to investigate whether Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, misrepresented facts to Congress.
Fauci, responding angrily to Paul in a hearing last week, said he “never lied before the Congress.”