Ex-Fauci top advisor indicted over alleged COVID cover-up, hidden emails

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The Justice Department is accusing a longtime senior advisor to Dr.Anthony Fauci of using his privateemailto hide communication about the COVID-19 virus from public view while helping to shape the narrative about its origins.

David M.Morens, 78, who served for years as a top advisor within the National Institute of Allergy andInfectious Diseases(NIAID), was indicted and is accused of using his personal email account to evade federal transparency laws and shield key discussions from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, according to a DOJ indictment unsealed Tuesday.

Prosecutors allege that Morens conspired with others during the pandemic to hide communications related to a controversial coronavirus research grant that involved collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.The grant was later terminated amid scrutiny over whether COVID-19 may have originated from a lab leak.

The indictment alleges that Morens and his associates deliberately moved conversations off official government systems and onto private email accounts to keep them from public disclosure.The communications allegedly included internal discussions about COVID research, efforts to influence funding decisions, and exchanges related to messaging on the virus’s origins.

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Dr.David Morens testified in Congress about recently released emails between Morens and an NGO president that received federal funding for COVID-19 research in Wuhan, China.(House Oversight Committee)

The indictment also alleges that Morens played a behind-the-scenes role in relaying information to senior agency leadership, who in turn briefed theWhite House, Congress and the public during the pandemic.

Federal prosecutors also claim that Morens received gifts from a collaborator — including wine and offers of high-end meals — and later took steps to justify those perks by contributing to a scientific publication supporting the theory thatCOVID-19 emerged naturallyrather than from the Wuhan lab.

Dr. Anthony Fauci testifying before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in Washington, D.C.

Dr.Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2024.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

�s request for comment.A spokesperson for the National Institutes ofHealthalso did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Security personnel standing near entrance of Wuhan Institute of Virology in China

Security personnel gather near the entrance of the Wuhan Institute of Virology during a World Health Organization team visit in Wuhan, China, on Feb.3, 2021.President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill on March 20, 2023, directing the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to declassify intelligence related to the institute, citing potential links to the COVID-19 outbreak declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020.(Ng Han Guan/AP)

Morens previously faced scrutiny from House lawmakers over emails related to COVID-era communications.Duringcongressional testimony, he said he regretted the tone of certain messages and described some remarks as “black humor.”

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The charges include conspiracy, destruction and concealment of federal records and related offenses.Morensfaces decades in prisonif convicted.

The case is likely to intensify scrutiny of how federal health officials handled key questions during the pandemic,particularly debates overthe virus’s origins.

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