WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, David Morens, a former senior official at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was indicted on charges of concealing records from Freedom of Information Act requests.
According to Trump administration officials, Morens allegedly concealed and falsified records to hinder discussions about the origins of the virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic. It is claimed he received kickbacks, such as wine and future dining experiences at upscale restaurants, for these actions. Morens was a senior adviser to Anthony Fauci, the former NIAID Director, though Fauci is not directly mentioned in the indictment.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, “As alleged in the indictment, Dr. Morens and his co-conspirators deliberately concealed information and falsified records in an effort to suppress alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19.”
Morens has not responded to requests for comment.
The indictment asserts that Morens conspired with individuals described as EcoHealth Alliance’s then-president, Peter Daszak, and an unidentified third person, to use personal email accounts to keep communications beyond the reach of FOIA requests.
EcoHealth, a nonprofit organization, focused on infectious disease threats due to environmental damage and financed disease research, including at a Chinese lab some have linked to the Covid-19 virus origins.
The third individual is described as a physician and scientist who received federal research funding, although not for bat coronaviruses. According to the indictment, the alleged conspiracy involved others and spanned from mid-2020 to mid-2023.
Daszak has not been charged with any crimes and has not responded to requests for comment.
EcoHealth lost its grant funding from the National Institutes of Health following claims that the pandemic’s virus originated from a lab — China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology — associated with the project. According to the indictment, Morens and the third individual attempted to restore the grant, using personal email accounts for related communications.
The indictment of Morens follows extensive congressional investigations into the Department of Health and Human Services’ handling of the Covid pandemic, particularly concerning the virus’s origins. Some Republican politicians have promoted the theory that the virus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
These investigations have yet to produce evidence of a lab leak, and Morens’ emails did not indicate that he concealed evidence of such an event. However, they did reveal Morens discussing methods to avoid the public disclosure of his correspondence, including plans to “make emails disappear.”
Fauci has adamantly denied any awareness of Morens’ attempts to evade federal records requirements, asserting to a congressional committee that he and Morens never discussed official business via private email. Separately, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has called for Fauci to be prosecuted over his testimony relating to U.S. funding of research in Wuhan.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the House Oversight Committee, welcomed the indictment in a statement issued Tuesday.
“The House Oversight Committee’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic uncovered evidence revealing Dr. Morens – a top advisor to Dr. Fauci – intentionally took action to conceal and falsify records about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. We caught Dr. Morens red-handed as he boasted in emails about how the ‘FOIA lady’ coached him on how to hide records and cover-up information,” he stated.
Scientists and officials globally continue to debate the pandemic’s origin, with various U.S. government agencies endorsing differing theories — whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus transferred from animals to humans or escaped from a Chinese lab.
Several scientific papers have reported evidence of the virus jumping from animals to humans at a market in Wuhan. In February, numerous experts commissioned by the World Health Organization to investigate the pandemic’s origin wrote that while “there can be no certainty about when, where and how SARS-CoV-2 entered the human population” without further data, “most of the peer-reviewed scientific evidence supports” the natural spillover hypothesis.
Prior to leaving office, President Biden issued a preemptive pardon for Fauci, clarifying that the pardon did not imply wrongdoing but was to protect against politically motivated charges.
“These are exceptional circumstances,” Biden remarked at the time, “and I cannot in good conscience do nothing.”
Andrew Joseph contributed reporting.
