Dr. Anthony Fauci at a Senate hearing Wednesday wouldn't clarify the exact date he and Dr. Deborah Birx met with former President Barack Obama's CDC director, Dr. Thomas Frieden, at her house during the COVID-19 pandemic to recommend austere mandates at nursing homes, but also did not deny the plot.

Birx, who was a White House COVID response coordinator, claimed in her book that the meeting took place on March 14, 2020, which was just days before President Donald Trump launched his 15 days to slow the spread effort, but Fauci's diaries claimed the meeting took place a week before that on March 7.

"Dr. Birx said you were all trying to trap the president into having no other options. She wrote, 'Your plan was to quote, block any of the president's escape routes, so quote 'he'd have no choice but to agree to our flatten the curve measures,' yes or no, Dr. Fauci?" Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst asked in Wednesday's Senate hearing. "Did you try to block or trap President Trump into the slow the spread, flatten the curve measures in March 2020?"

Fauci, who was pardoned by former President Joe Biden for any crimes he might have committed during the pandemic, declined to answer the question and invoked the Fifth Amendment. 

The alleged meeting was just before a COVID Task Force meeting with Trump, who was reluctant to shut down the country, and to impose austere mandates on nursing homes. 

Fauci claimed in his diaries, which were obtained and released by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, that other Trump administration officials were also at the meeting, including former National Security Advisor Matt Pottinger and Olivia Troye. 

Fauci said the group made the "decision to recommend that staff of all nursing homes and extended care facilities act as if they are infected and wear masks, wash hands, etc. in dealing with clients. Also, limit visits of family members, and if they do visit, they should do as the staff does."

The former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director also said that they had not reached a decision at that point on whether to ban cruise ships from embarking on their journeys, though they already wanted to.

Fauci and Birx have both been criticized for their handling of the pandemic, with lawmakers on both sides expressing mistrust of Birx. 

Fauci and Birx have repeatedly defended their work over the years, saying the rise of coronavirus cases had been the result of states failing to stay locked down long enough and not an outcome of their recommendations.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.