During Friday’s episode of HBO’s “Real Time,” Maher accused Paul, R-Ky., of breaking with his libertarian views by releasing Fauci’s pandemic-era diary and threatening to hold him in contempt of Congress<\/a>. Meanwhile, a public relations expert told Fox News Digital that Paul should focus on why the diary matters rather than how he obtained it.<\/p>\n “Stop threatening to put everyone in jail who you just don\u2019t like,” Maher said more broadly about politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Rand, babe, your entire brand is \u2018Senator Right to Privacy,\u2019” he added. “You\u2019re the libertarian guy, the Fourth Amendment guy. It\u2019s your family legacy.”<\/p>\n BILL MAHER BREAKS WITH THE LEFT TO HAMMER ANTHONY FAUCI AFTER EXPLOSIVE SENATE HEARING<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Comedian and television host Bill Maher arrived for the 27th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor gala at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on June 28, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wroblewski\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Maher\u2019s comments come on the heels of the Senate<\/a> Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which is led by Paul, voting 8-5 to refer Fauci for contempt after he repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment<\/a> during a Senate<\/a> hearing regarding his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic last week.<\/p>\n Fauci, who received a preemptive pardon from then-President Joe Biden last year, exercised his right against self-incrimination a total of 111 times during the hearing while being questioned over his leadership as the White House chief medical adviser during the pandemic.<\/p>\n In the days before the hearing, Paul released more than 1000 pages<\/a> of Fauci’s<\/a> private “COVID diaries” \u2014 medical notes and personal reflections Fauci wrote and stored on his government computer.<\/p>\n FAUCI’S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky, a Republican from Kentucky and chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, speaks during a hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Anthony Fauci declined to testify in a Senate committee hearing on his role in the US response to Covid-19, invoking his 5th Amendment rights. (Al Drago\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/p>\n The move was blasted by Maher, who argued Paul’s decision to publish the documents directly contradicted his longtime political platform of personal privacy and limited government intrusion.<\/p>\n “Your entire political career has been about warning us about government overreach,” Maher said, speaking directly to Paul. “You printing someone’s diary? It’s like [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a>] wearing a gown that says, \u2018Tax the poor.\u2019”<\/p>\n Fauci’s diaries were located and stored on government servers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jason Mudd, CEO of Axia Public Relations, told Fox News Digital that the criticism surrounding Paul’s release of Fauci’s private diary is unfounded, while adding he would advise Paul to change approach to explaining why the document is important.<\/p>\n “If Sen. Paul were my client, I\u2019d tell him to stop defending how he got the diary and start defending why it matters,” Mudd said. “A public official\u2019s notes on a government computer aren\u2019t a private citizen\u2019s journal, and that distinction should have been his first sentence, not his fifth.” \u00a0<\/p>\n Maher\u2019s comments come after he previously made headlines by suggesting that his “vote is in play<\/a>” after voicing his discontent with the socialist direction the Democratic party<\/a> is heading.<\/p>\n “Politically, Bill Maher<\/a> carries resonance with a fairly non-tribal group of viewers. While that means he can often piss off both sides, it also means he can be seen as above the partisan back-and-forth, without a specific left or right agenda,” media expert<\/a> Kaivan Shroff told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n DAVID MARCUS: BILL MAHER’S NO REPUBLICAN, HE’S JUST A RARE DEMOCRAT WHO THINKS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Dr. Anthony Fauci is sworn in during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 29, 2026.\u00a0 (Alex Wroblewski \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Shroff added that Maher’s words carry more weight when he criticizes both sides of the political spectrum because of his willingness to call out his own party.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “Maher can spend one week arguing that Democrats have lost the plot and the next saying Republicans have gone too far,” Shroff said. “That gives moments like this outsized significance: when someone who has repeatedly criticized Fauci and the left still looks at what Rand Paul is doing and says it crosses a line, it gives permission to viewers who aren\u2019t particularly sympathetic to Fauci to reach the same conclusion.”<\/p>\n “In a polarized media environment, the messenger can matter as much as the message,” Shroff added.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Bill](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bill-maher-mark-twain-comedy-fox-news.jpg\")
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